THE "fantastic and warm-hearted" response of the Bolton public and businesses to The Cube fire has been recognised again.

Council responses to the November 2019 blaze have been detailed in a scrutiny committee report.

More than 200 people were inside when the fire started and two students had to be rescued by firefighters, one from the sixth floor.

Later a fire service report said ‘many lives were saved’ by the quick evacuation of the building.

Helen Lowey, the borough's public health director, who led the authority’s response, said the council activated its civil contingencies plan on the night.

Major priorities included finding alternative accommodation for students and other displaced residents, and providing emergency transport and highways and engineering support and welfare advice.

Mrs Lowey also described the immediate response of members of the public and Bolton businesses who helped out in the aftermath: "We responded by providing food, clothes and toiletries. The public were really amazing in their contribution as were local businesses.”

Financial donations to those affected totalled £51,027, with £31,027 given to Cube residents and £20,000 to those from other affected buildings.

All costs incurred by the council were reimbursed through the building owner’s insurance.

Cllr Madeline Murray said she wanted to recognise the public response to the fire.

She said: “I’m Bolton through and through and I’m not surprised people worked so well.

“Saturday morning down at the university it was absolutely wonderful to see.

“There were businesses and ordinary families queueing up all going with toiletries, t-shirts, anything they could lay their hands on.

“The people of Bolton are wonderful and that’s why we did so well.

“Nationally people say people from here are very warm hearted and they were then.

“That morning it was unbelievable to watch the cars and the vans queueing up outside the university

Cllr Hilary Fairclough, said: “I’m proud of a council who could react in this way. Several cabinet members went down on the night and made sure everything that could be done was being done.

“Everyone worked together to make sure we got the best outcomes.

“In the aftermath the university looked after their students in every possible way they could.”

Council leader Cllr David Greenhalgh praised firefighters who responded. Many had been training for a high-rise fire just 24 hours earlier.

He said: “How they dealt with it was phenomenal.

“The university acted in an exemplary way to find accommodation.

“The voluntary sector turned out in force and I want to give a special mention to student ambassadors who were brilliant. They went door to door to alert people to the fire, to tell them it was real.”