GRIDLOCK caused by huge cladding tiles falling 40 floors from Birmingham's tallest tower has led to a major safety inquiry. The accident is the latest in a series of setbacks to hit the new Beetham Tower in the city centre which brought yesterday's rush-hour traffic to a standstill. The inner ring road was blocked off by emergency vehicles and thousands of motorists were delayed, some for several hours, as they tried to get home last night. The four tiles fell during strong winds from close to the top of the building at Holloway Circus at 2pm. Police cordoned off the area and evacuated workers from nearby shops and offices. It is the second time traffic diversions have been set up as a result of problems with the £70 million building. The first happened in February when scaffolding fell nearly 400ft from the tower's roof, narrowly missing workers and passing cars. Yesterday's accident has prompted new calls for the council to make redevelopment of the inner ring road and city centre traffic routes a priority. Opposition Deputy Leader Coun Ian Ward (Labour, Sheldon) said he too was stuck in the gridlock. He said: "It feels like it is happening more often these days. I seem to get stuck more regularly. Clearly something needs to be done to the inner ring road. The current administration need to do something to address this." He said that a Labour proposal to link the Queensway tunnels would include a hard shoulder to allow accidents to be cleared. Beetham Tower has transformed Birmingham's skyline but over the last nine months it has caused controversy and brought complaints from residents. Expected to be completed early next year, it will be home to 212 apartments, a health club and a luxury Radisson SAS Hotel. Hotel staff have already moved into offices on the third floor. The apartments range in price from £140,000 to a £1million penthouse. Controversy surrounding the tower started last December when advertising hoardings at its base promoted its sister building in Manchester instead of the Birmingham project. Later, the tower was again in trouble after its cranes were blamed by nearby families for disturbing their TV signals. Developer, The Beetham Organisation, was not immediately available for comment. | 
