HOUSING chiefs have confirmed that an independent review will be carried out into the bungled Red Road flats demolition in north Glasgow.

The six blocks were supposed to be left with 10 floors intact, to be demolished at a later stage manually.

Instead, four appeared to come down completely and two were left partially in place, one leaning slightly.

Hundreds of nearby residents were kept out of their homes after the demolition went wrong yesterday afternoon.

A spokesman for Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) admitted that things “did not go completely to plan”, saying that the 2500 residents evacuated ahead of the blast were delayed in getting back into their homes by around an hour.

This morning GHA confirmed that they have commissioned a review of the blast. A spokesman said: “Although it was always intended that 10 storeys in each of the six blocks would remain for dismantling after the blowdown, this didn’t go completely to plan.

“Two of the blocks at 123 Petershill Drive and 10 Red Road Court were left with 11 and 13 storeys respectively still standing.

“Our demolition contractor Safedem has confirmed these two remaining blocks are stable and they will now determine in the days ahead the best method for completing their demolition.”

He added: “In the meantime, we have commissioned an independent technical review of Sunday’s blowdown and would like to thank again the residents who were asked to leave their homes.

“We very much appreciate their co-operation and patience and hope they understand the reason for the slight delay in them getting back to their homes on Sunday was because the demolition contractor needed to be absolutely sure it was safe for them to do so.”

Protester Sean Clerkin, who refused to leave his house nearby, said it was “a total disaster.”.

His protest delayed the explosion by three hours, he said.

He said: “We have been contacting GHA for months, warning that this would go pear-shaped and it has been a total disaster.

“I sat in protest with Tina Suffredini and we held up the demolition by three hours before we were dragged out. Tina and her son were manhandled and forcibly removed from their own home.

“Homeowners have been forced out of their own homes because they knew it would be a disaster, but nobody listened to what they had to say.”

He said they believed the flats should have been pulled down floor by floor.

He added: “The two buildings still standing are clearly dangerous buildings.

“It is a total disaster and (GHA chief executive) Martin Armstrong should resign immediately.”

Meanwhile, hundreds of people lined to the street to watch the demolition, which took place shortly before 3.20pm.

Among them was David Carrol, who had been waiting for hours to see the flats come down. He said: “There was a bit of delay due to the protests, so we had been stood there for a while.

“We are a wee bit puzzled if it has worked properly or not, because at face value it looks like there might be some problems because that doesn’t look safe.

“It’s a fantastic view now that it has cleared up, but I will be surprised if it was supposed to be demolished like that.”

Another spectator, Margaret Urquhart, said she could remember when the flats were first built. and how much they changed the area at the time.

She said: “There was a huge big field and a wee stream running through it where we went to play and had picnics and things.

“A lot of people loved staying there. It was all countryside there before, so it was strange to see them going up.

“It is funny for me seeing them going up and now seeing them coming down.

“They had a lot of problems, but people loved being there. I think for elderly people it was good company, with so many people in the same landing.

“For families, it was not so good being that high up.

“It’s a strange feeling seeing them coming down as it doesn’t feel like they have been there that long.”

When they were built between 1964 and 1969, the Red Road flats were the highest in Europe at 292ft.

They were at the centre of a controversy last year when plans were announced to demolish the flats as part of the Commonwealth Games 2014 opening ceremony.

They eventually ditched the proposal live on television after a petition against the move garnered more than 17,000 signatures.

Critics said it was insensitive to former residents and to the asylum seekers who still occupied the sixth block.

One of the blocks was previously demolished in 2013 and another in 2012.

Researchers in the Housing, Everyday Life and Well Being team at the University of Glasgow are currently studying the long-term experiences of those who were rehoused in high-rise flats in the 1960s and 70s.

They found that the vast majority of high rise tenants at the time were said to be satisfied with their new homes.

Professor Lynn Abrams, head of modern history, said: “The flats undoubtedly became the symbol to some of all that failed in the city’s high-rise experiment, associated with isolation, anti-social behaviour and crime. To others, however, it was home.

“But it is clear that so early in the life of Glasgow’s high-rise experiment there were already signs of the problems that bedevilled this modern housing solution.

“Social problems such as isolation and loneliness and the absence of provision for children; economic problems surrounding high rents and expensive utility bills; and problems with the build quality of the flats with thin walls, ill-fitting windows, dangerous balconies and malfunctioning lifts.”