Serpo
4th September 2013, 02:19 AM
Now the Walkie Talkie building is melting BICYCLES: Dazzling light reflected from giant London skyscraper scorches bike seats (and you can even fry an egg)
Sunlight reflected from skyscraper is causing heat damage below
Several panels of Jaguar XJ had buckled in glare in City of London
Others say their vehicles and bicycles have wilted in beam of light
Business owners say glare has started fires and caused damage
By Mark Duell (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Mark+Duell) and Sam Webb (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Sam+Webb)
PUBLISHED: 11:19 GMT, 3 September 2013 | UPDATED: 22:44 GMT, 3 September 2013
Business owners and motorists today hit out at developers of a new skyscraper which they blame for starting fires and causing damage by reflecting the sun's rays.
The half-finished 37-storey tower in central London has been dubbed the ‘Walkie Scorchie’ due to its distinctive shape and apparent ability to bounce heat from the sun onto buildings in the next street.
Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200 million project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singe fabric. A motorist has also said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar.
One shopkeeper said the glare caused his doormat to start smoking and damaged a lemon, another said it blistered paint - and one journalist even managed to fry an egg with the startlingly bright rays.
Scroll down for video
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B99D1FF000005DC-646_634x421.jpg Unbelievable: An egg is fried in intense sunlight reflected from the Walkie-Talkie building, in Eastcheap in the City of London, where sun light reflected from the building melted part of a Jaguar car
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409073-1B983EAB000005DC-990_634x428.jpg Further damage: The seat of a bicycle parked near the building was also allegedly singed by the blinding light
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9A3F40000005DC-159_634x483.jpg How does it happen? This graphic shows how the concave shape of the skyscraper means a large amount of sunlight is reflected into a small area
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B993C60000005DC-77_634x423.jpg Scorched: Men stand in the doorway of a barbers shop, which has a burn mark on the carpet in London. It was reported that the carpet was set alight from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B994136000005DC-36_634x423.jpg Even the fruit suffered: A damaged lemon is seen in the window of a barbers shop in the City of London
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B99D31D000005DC-729_634x421.jpg Looking up: A general view of the Walkie Talkie building, taken from Eastcheap in the City of London
Developers called the problem with the building at 20 Fenchurch Street ‘a phenomenon’ and said they are ‘looking into the matter as a priority’. Cyclists have also reported scorched bicycle seats.
Ali Akay, of Re Style barber's, said the position of the sun at a certain time of the day caused a searing bolt of sunlight to start a small fire and burn a hole in his company doormat.
He said: ‘We were working and just saw the smoke coming out of the carpet. We tried to cut the fire down, there were customers in at the time and they were obviously not happy.
‘Customers are not going to come in if there is a fire in the front of the door.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/02/article-2409073-1B898673000005DC-114_634x540.jpg Blinding: The phenomenon takes place in the afternoon on bright days in the City of London
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9933DD000005DC-69_634x430.jpg Up close: A camera man films broken slates outside a cafe in London. It was reported the tiles had shattered from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B995929000005DC-351_306x423.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9957AC000005DC-96_306x423.jpg
Sunlight reflected from skyscraper is causing heat damage below
Several panels of Jaguar XJ had buckled in glare in City of London
Others say their vehicles and bicycles have wilted in beam of light
Business owners say glare has started fires and caused damage
By Mark Duell (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Mark+Duell) and Sam Webb (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=&authornamef=Sam+Webb)
PUBLISHED: 11:19 GMT, 3 September 2013 | UPDATED: 22:44 GMT, 3 September 2013
Business owners and motorists today hit out at developers of a new skyscraper which they blame for starting fires and causing damage by reflecting the sun's rays.
The half-finished 37-storey tower in central London has been dubbed the ‘Walkie Scorchie’ due to its distinctive shape and apparent ability to bounce heat from the sun onto buildings in the next street.
Angry business owners in Eastcheap say the £200 million project has blistered paintwork, caused tiles to smash and singe fabric. A motorist has also said the intense heat melted part of his Jaguar.
One shopkeeper said the glare caused his doormat to start smoking and damaged a lemon, another said it blistered paint - and one journalist even managed to fry an egg with the startlingly bright rays.
Scroll down for video
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B99D1FF000005DC-646_634x421.jpg Unbelievable: An egg is fried in intense sunlight reflected from the Walkie-Talkie building, in Eastcheap in the City of London, where sun light reflected from the building melted part of a Jaguar car
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409073-1B983EAB000005DC-990_634x428.jpg Further damage: The seat of a bicycle parked near the building was also allegedly singed by the blinding light
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9A3F40000005DC-159_634x483.jpg How does it happen? This graphic shows how the concave shape of the skyscraper means a large amount of sunlight is reflected into a small area
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B993C60000005DC-77_634x423.jpg Scorched: Men stand in the doorway of a barbers shop, which has a burn mark on the carpet in London. It was reported that the carpet was set alight from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B994136000005DC-36_634x423.jpg Even the fruit suffered: A damaged lemon is seen in the window of a barbers shop in the City of London
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B99D31D000005DC-729_634x421.jpg Looking up: A general view of the Walkie Talkie building, taken from Eastcheap in the City of London
Developers called the problem with the building at 20 Fenchurch Street ‘a phenomenon’ and said they are ‘looking into the matter as a priority’. Cyclists have also reported scorched bicycle seats.
Ali Akay, of Re Style barber's, said the position of the sun at a certain time of the day caused a searing bolt of sunlight to start a small fire and burn a hole in his company doormat.
He said: ‘We were working and just saw the smoke coming out of the carpet. We tried to cut the fire down, there were customers in at the time and they were obviously not happy.
‘Customers are not going to come in if there is a fire in the front of the door.’
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/02/article-2409073-1B898673000005DC-114_634x540.jpg Blinding: The phenomenon takes place in the afternoon on bright days in the City of London
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9933DD000005DC-69_634x430.jpg Up close: A camera man films broken slates outside a cafe in London. It was reported the tiles had shattered from sunlight reflected by the Walkie Talkie tower
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B995929000005DC-351_306x423.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/09/03/article-2409710-1B9957AC000005DC-96_306x423.jpg