Residents have been allowed back into their apartments at Chandler's Wharf in Liverpool after the removal of most of the wreckage of a crane that collapsed on the building.
The people who live in the flats in Cornhill, in the city centre, started to return to their homes after 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
They were accompanied by police officers, who, along with a private security firm, have kept the site safe and secure since the accident happened on 6th July.
The removal of the damaged crane from the site and the heavy plant machinery used in this phase of the operation, allowed police to re-open.
The next stahe of the work will be to remove the crane's counter-balance which is still embedded in the building.
Unfortunately for the residents of 24/26 Cornhill, the building has been declared structurally unsafe and they cannot be allowed to return yet for safety reasons. Arrangments are in place to provide them with a longer-term solution to their accommodation needs.
Merseyside Police Supt Simon Irving, of the Liverpool North Command Team, welcomed the excellent progress made over the weekend.
He said: "I am delighted that the crane has been completely removed from the site this weekend and that this now means that some of the residents affected can return to their homes before the start of the week.
"People have been incredibly patient having undergone some serious disruption to their lives and we are grateful to them for that. This has been a difficult and complex operation requiring vast levels of planning and expertise from all the agencies involved and it is credit to that teamwork that this breakthrough has been made ahead of schedule.
"Plans are now being put together to remove the counter-balance which is still embedded in the damaged building and unfortunately this means that it is still not safe for some residents to return to their homes at 24/26 Cornhill. However everything is being done to complete the operation as quickly and safely as possible."
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