THIS WEEK IN 1978: Frank Judd blasts balcony safety
The government was urged to tighten up tower block safety rules after a toddler's death fall at Portsmouth's Portsdown Park estate.
Frank Judd, the MP for Portsmouth North asked for action from Whitehall because the city council refused to answer residents’ pleas for higher safety rails.
He was to ask housing minister Reg Freeson to issue new specifications to improve balcony safety.
Mr Judd said: ‘Portsmouth City Council has totally failed to respond.’
Richard Matthews, two, fell to his death from a balcony at the estate.
Residents hoped to contact tenants of other problem housing estates across the country to try to pool resources to win better conditions.