Hallam Tower, a blot on the landscape and death-trap

It's now eight years since the Hallam Tower hotel closed its doors but there's no sign that the site will be redeveloped, despite having planning permission approved in 2009. Meanwhile the building is becoming a hideous dilapidated eyesore visible from right across the city, blighting the environment of people living close by. More worrying still are the regular breaches of site security and the attraction that the derelict building seems to hold for Sheffield's urban warriors. Pictures of trashed rooms inside the building now feature regularly on urban explorer websites. With so many of its upper floor windows now standing open or broken it seems only a matter of time before someone falls out. So what can be done? Local residents who spot people on the site are urged to report this immediately to the site security officer, Steve Mettam, whose number is 2734052. It would also be helpful to report intruders to the police via the 101 helpline, which is manned at night. Hopefully if breaches are reported promptly and often the site security will be upgraded to include CCTV.