The number of high rise buildings which have failed a combustibility test is now 60 across 25 local authority areas.
Sajid Javid MP, Secretary of State for Communities & Local Government, published a statement which detailed the work being undertaken to ensure the safety of residents in high-rise buildings following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
The number of high rise buildings from which cladding samples have failed a combustibility test at the Building Research Establishment is now 60 across 25 local authority areas. All landlords and fire and rescue services for these local authorities have been alerted to the results and we are in touch with all of them to support and monitor follow-up action.
Dennis Davis of the Fire Sector Federation (FSF) said: "Time and time and time again, we are desperately worried about our building regulations, in particularly the approved documents falling behind what is going on within the built environment.
"We must get over this. 2006 is the last review. Ten years is too long a gap, far too long a gap if you consider how much constriction and building has changed.
"The determination has to be as a sector that we ask very, very deep, searching questions – how could this happen in our country, at this time?"
Sajid Javid said: "All landlords and fire and rescue services for those local authorities have been alerted to the results and we are in touch with all 17 areas to support and monitor follow-up action. The landlords for all the affected buildings are taking action to inform tenants and implement the interim safety measures needed.
"The fact that all samples so far have failed the tests underlines the value of the testing programme we have set up with the Building Research Establishment to get samples checked properly in the laboratories. It is therefore very important for local authorities and housing associations to continue to submit such samples as a matter of urgency.
"In the meantime, local authorities are contacting fire and rescue services in their area to conduct fire safety inspections of these tower blocks to inform them on what remedial works might be required.
"We expect that authorities and landlords are very sensibly giving the highest priority to buildings with which they have most concern. But we should not be in the position where buildings have such cladding on them. How this occurred – and preventing this from happening again – is likely to be a key question for the public inquiry.
"It is important to stress that cladding itself is not dangerous, but it is important that the right type is used. Also, a failure in testing of the cladding does not necessarily mean that a building will have to be evacuated; the decision by Camden Council to evacuate 4 of the 5 towers on the Chalcots Estate was because the failed testing of the external cladding was compounded by multiple other fire safety failures which the fire inspection team found within the buildings."
At last week's Firex event at Excel, London, Jim Glocking, Fire Protection Association, said the industry was seeing "worrying trends associated with fires" but was "struggling enormously" to get its voice heard.
He said that the situation with central government was "very difficult" as there was no timeframe and "you couldn’t imagine holding the Olympics and not telling athletes when to be ready – yet that is the situation we find ourselves in".
Steve Seaber of the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association, said that there needed to be more regular reviews of legislation – like in Australia, where it happened once a year.
"We also need to make sure that regulatory changes are reflected in other parts of regulations," he added.
