Removing Grenfell Tower-style ‘fire-trap’ cladding could INCREASE the risk of a blaze, landlords warned
LANDLORDS have been warned against removing Grenfell Tower-style cladding over fears it could INCREASE the risk of a fire.
A number of councils have been removing the rainproof zinc-coated foam boards following the blaze at the West London housing estate in June which claimed at least 80 lives.
But now the department of communities and local government has warned landlords and building owners "not to create conditions which may worsen the integrity of the cladding system...[including] leaving material exposed which could reduce fire performance", the .
In addition it has been revealed that on the Pendleton estate in Salford, Greater Manchester, insulation which is more flammable than the cladding used in Grenfell Tower has been exposed for up to three weeks on at least six blocks.
Jon Smith, who lives on the estate, said: "It is more dangerous in our opinion than the cladding that covers it because it is combustible.
"Now it is exposed, you only need some idiot after a night on the drink to conduct their own fire test and the whole block goes up."
In addition, fire expert Arnold Tarling said the exposed insulation is "definitely a fire risk" as there is a chance a of the blaze spreading over the surface.
This month we reported on the chilling video taken from inside Grenfell Tower which showed the charred aftermath of the deadly blaze.
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Footage shows hardworking emergency services officers going from floor-to-floor of the gutted 24-storey tower block.
The walls of the concrete stairwell where hundreds of residents made a frantic bid to escape as the inferno erupted have been turned black from the blaze.
It was the only exit for those living inside the North Kensington building and many desperate people jumped from windows to avoid being burnt alive.
The harrowing video has been released as cops reveal the painstaking work they are doing following the carnage to recover bodies.
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