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Cladding On Over 70 High Rise Buildings In UK Have Now Failed Fire Safety Tests

By NewsRoom24 on June 27th, 2017 / Views
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All the high rise buildings tested so far have failed fire safety tests, bringing the total to more than 70.

The government started examining tower blocks after the Grenfell disaster which left at least 78 people dead.

‘As of midday today, the cladding samples from 75 buildings in 26 local authority areas has failed the combustibility test,’ Sajid Javid, the communities and local government secretary, told the House of Commons today.

‘The test has three categories rated one to three and it is deemed that cladding material in category two or three does not meet the requirements for “limited combustibility” in building regulations.

‘All samples of cladding tested have failed.’

The alarming results show that dozens of other buildings could be death traps.

Hospitals and schools will also be tested to make sure they are safe as some use similar types of cladding which may be combustible.

The samples tested so far came from buildings in cities spread as far apart as London, Norwich, Doncaster, Manchester and Plymouth.

It comes after Camden Council became the first authority to evacuate residents from their homes for fire safety reasons.

The council was tasked with moving 3,000 residents from the Chalcots Estate in north London, although some of the residents refused to leave their homes.

Shadow Housing Minister John Healey responded to Mr Javid that his update suggested ‘a collapse of the system of fire safety control and checks system.

‘It is not working, it must change.’

He said there ‘should be in place a triple fire safety lock around buildings and works on them.

‘First, the materials must be fit for purpose and meet safety specifications.

‘Second, fire safety systems must be in place and fire risk assessments done regularly.

‘Third, building regulation and control must make sure the design, construction and any further works are fully safe.

Original Article: Metro News

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