Josh Robbins died after a communal walkway safety barrier ‘failed to protect’ the 23-year-old

THE family of a young man who died in a fifth-floor fall from a balcony barrier that “gave way” are appealing for anyone who may have any information about the maintenance of the building.

Josh Robbins’ mother, Fiona Garrett, said she was determined to establish the truth about why a communal walkway safety barrier “failed to protect” the 23-year-old at Holland and Thurston Dwellings in Newton Street, Covent Garden.

Ms Garrett said investigating officers need more evidence about the condition of the social housing block before the tragedy.

The family believes residents and contractors involved in maintenance, painting, decorating, inspection work at the building may have noticed problems with the condition of the railings.

Ms Garrett said: “Joshua was loved beyond words, and he deserved to be safe in his own home. Please help us find the answers.

“Nothing will ever bring our son back, but we are determined to establish the truth about how this could have happened.

“As Joshua’s parents, we simply ask that if you saw anything relating to the condition of the railings, the maintenance works, or any issues at Thurstan Dwellings, however insignificant it may seem, please come forward.

Holland and Thurston Dwellings in Newton Street, Covent Garden

“You are not being asked to determine responsibility, that is the job of the investigators. We are simply asking anyone who may have information, however small it may seem, to help the police establish the full facts.”

Ms Garrett said she believed some people could feel anxious about speaking to the police or that what they saw might not be important.

She said: “If you were involved in painting, decorating, maintenance, inspection, supervision or management at Thurstan Dwellings, or if you were working on site and noticed anything about the railings or their condition, your information could be incredibly important.”

In February, the family launched a No More Falls campaign that urged all tenants to demand landlords check the safety of their balconies and railings. The five demands are for mandatory safety inspections, urgent make-safe actions, a national reporting system of failures, clarity over legal responsibility, and better enforcement.

Mr Robbins died six months after a 58-year-old man died in Harben estate in Swiss Cottage after falling through a balcony panel.

The Newton Street block Mr Robbins lived in with his father is run by the Islington and Shoreditch Housing Association – a social housing landlord that owns and manages 2,358 properties in the capital.

Josh, originally from a village outside Derry in Northern Ireland, came to London to live with his father in Newton Street.

He was described by his family as “kind, funny, and full of charisma, with impeccable manners”.