Support for those affected by fire at Dairy Court

Staff from both Sovereign and Test Valley Borough Council will be available to provide ongoing housing and welfare support. 

Test Valley Borough Council – Tel 01264 368000 or email dcourt@testvalley.gov.uk

Sovereign (SNG) – Tel 0300 500 0926 or email dairycourt@sng.org.uk. For general needs speak to Ian Patterson or Tyler Simpkins, for Leaseholder/Shared Owner needs contact Adrian Selway or Ivie Otenaike. 

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Any Dairy Court resident will be provided with temporary accommodation if they are unable to make alternative arrangements.  This can be at any stage up until you are able to return to your home.

Sovereign social housing tenants – Sovereign will be to secure you temporary accommodation.  To make these arrangements please contact Ian Patterson or Tyler Simpkins on 0300 500 0926 or via e mail dairycourt@sng.org.uk

Leaseholds/Shared ownership occupiers – Sovereign’s Building Insurance company will provide and arrange your temporary accommodation, please contact them directly.  If you do not have the contact details please Adrian Selway or Ivie Otenaike on 0300 500 0926 or via e mail dairycourt@sng.og.uk

Immediately temporary accommodation is likely to be a hotel that has availability.  Sovereign are working to identify some more settled temporary accommodation in order to provide stability. 

It is hoped that some residents may be able to move back in around four weeks, but for others whose flats have been badly damaged it will be longer. We will be working closely with Sovereign Housing to keep everyone updated on timescales as things become clearer.

If you need to collect some of your belongings, then please contact Sovereign Network Group on 0300 500 0926, who will help you to access your flat if it is safe to do so – this applies to everyone not just Sovereign tenants.

Unfortunately, not all flats can be accessed right now as the building is unsafe. Sovereign will be advised when properties can be accessed, please check back with them for updates.

We have frozen the council tax accounts for all properties affected by the fire, which means that you will not need to pay your council tax for the period you are unable to live there.

We have applied a freeze to all council tax direct debits, so we won’t take payments from your account. If you have arrears then we will be in touch with you separately to discuss these, but the council tax freeze will still apply.

If you are a Sovereign Housing tenant please contact Sovereign direct, on 0300 500 0926.

If you are a shared ownership or homeowner occupant, you must continue to pay your mortgage. We suggest contacting your mortgage company to advise them of the situation and discuss any flexibility they can offer you.

It is recommended that you contact your electric and gas suppliers to notify them of the situation, they may be able to offer flexibility with payments or pause your accounts. 

Think about any other household supplier you have such as TV and internet packages. This also includes TV licences which are attributed to a property address rather than an individual How do I tell you about an unoccupied address or empty property? - TV Licensing ™  

If you need help with transport, please contact Test Valley Borough Council on 01264 368000.

If you have been placed into accommodation by Sovereign Housing please contact them for support with transport

We may be able to support you to access larger transport to move belongings and items of furniture if this is required. Please contact us on 01264 368000.

Unity can also assist with their buses, you can call them on 03304 004 116, or email info@unityonline.org.uk.

Contact your insurance provider to notify them of the fire. Citizens’ Advice Test Valley can assist if you need any help with this. You can contact them on 0808 812 6681.

Sovereign hold the policy for building insurance. Please contact them direct if you need a copy of this, on 0300 500 0926.

You may need a fire incident number/reference when making a claim. You can get that directly from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service by going to this website: Request an incident report - Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Official website of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service.

Alternatively the council or Sovereign may be able to provide you with the number, please contact us/them directly.

If your pet needs to stay with you in temporary accommodation, then please let Sovereign or the council know, and we will try to facilitate this.

You may wish to ask family or friends to look after your pets temporarily, alternatively there have been many offers of support made in local Facebook pages.  Test Valley Borough Council's Animal Welfare Officer, Rod Mason, may be able to give you further advice. Please contact him on 01264 368000.

Unity run the Andover Pet Food Bank. You can call them on 03304 004 116, or email info@unityonline.org.uk

The team at Andover Mind is on hand to provide mental health support to anyone affected by the fire. You can contact them on 0300 303 5772. You can also access their Safe Haven support, which provides practical and emotional help at www.andovermind.org.uk/services/north-and-mid-hampshire-safe-haven/

We have contacted local GP surgeries to notify them that Dairy Court residents may need prescriptions to be processed urgently. Please contact your GP surgery directly by phone and they will be able to assist.

A number of support pages have been set up on Facebook to coordinate offers of donations of clothing, toiletries, supplies for babies and children, and other essential items. You can join the Support for Families Affected by Andover Flats Fire 1/6/25 on Facebook. If you can’t access this group, contact the council on 01264 368000.

A number of local charities have also made offers to support people with items, these include:

Unity – 03304 004 116 or email info@unityonline.org.uk.

Andover Community Engagement – 13-17 Bridge Street, Andover.

Andover Food Bank – St John the Baptist RC Church, Alexandra Road Andover, SP10 3AD – Food available until 12:30 with a referral from the council.

Wednesday Warm Hub – Stop, Shop, Eat – Wednesdays 9-12, King Arthurs Hall, King Arthurs Way, Andover SP10 4BS (term time only).

For general help and support, including financial advice, you can contact them on 0808 812 6681.

Think about anything you may receive by post, you may need to contact these organisations and provide them with an alternative address while you are unable to access your home.

The Post Office offers a redirection service which is chargeable: Moving home? Don’t miss the mail that matters. | Royal Mail Group Ltd

There may be other agencies you need to notify of your situation and a temporary address – these may include, your employer, children’s schools, Department for Work and Pensions, GP and other health bodies, bank, anyone you get regular deliveries or subscriptions from. 

Andover Community Church - offering a free cooked dinner and somewhere to relax on Wednesday 4 June and Friday 6 June, any time between 5pm - 7pm, for those affected by the fire. Under 18s must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Parking available on site. No need to RSVP.

Andover Leisure Centre – offering free shower facilities to Dairy Court residents.

Purple Oaks Support – offering accessible shower facilities and access to the Activity Hall from 9:30 – 4:30 (The Wellington Centre, Winchester Road, SP10 2EG.

Available drop-in sessions hosted by Andover Parish:

Mustard Seed SMWA Mondays 9.30 - 11am at St Michaels Church, Weyhill Road SP10 3BB

Lounge Mondays 2 - 4.30pm at St Marys Church Centre SP10 1ER.  Drop in space for adults.

Little Angels Tuesdays 12 - 2.30pm at St Pauls Church, Smannell Road SP11 6JP

Mustard Seed SMA Fridays 10 - 11.30am at St Mary's Church SP10 1DP

For more information on what’s on visit  What's On - Andover Parish.

What to do after a house fire | British Red Cross