Action to stop more fires in tower blocks ‘cannot wait’

Urgent action is needed to protect residents of high-rise buildings from fires like the fatal blaze in Camberwell last year, a report warns today.

The London Assembly said vital safety measures were still lacking in tower blocks across the capital.

Half a million Londoners live in high-rise housing, and the number is set to increase as the population grows with space at a premium.

But the assembly's housing committee found a lack of information for residents of tall buildings, leading to uncertainty about evacuation procedures, and highlighted the danger of unauthorised DIY modifications, such as extra plug sockets, which are an added fire risk.

Members called on the Department of Communities and Local Government to require all social landlords to publish a full register of fire risk assessments online and ensure inspectors conducting fire risk assessments are properly qualified.

Housing committee chairwoman Nicky Gavron said the report "sends a wake-up call" to ministers and council landlords. "This is an issue that cannot wait. There is a crisis of confidence about the safety of tall buildings and the Government and construction industry must act now to tighten regulations and reduce fire risk.

"It is therefore vital to current and future residents that we get fire safety absolutely right."

The report follows a series of fires, including the Lakanal House blaze in July last year in which six people — including three children — lost their lives and dozens were made homeless.

An inspection of 500 tall buildings across London and the South-East then found 12 per cent of apartment blocks contained serious fire hazards, while a BBC investigation found at least 300 high rises in London with no valid risk assessment from the landlord.

Nearly 18 months later, the Assembly said: "There is evidence of the absence of appropriate fire safety measures, and this cannot be right."

New developments were also a concern, with Ms Gavron warning that measures must "improve fire safety both while buildings are under construction and once they are occupied".

Jenny Jones, deputy chairwoman of the committee, said the findings "should ring an alarm bell for government".

An inquest into the Lakanal victims' deaths has been delayed because of a criminal investigation.