London’s fire commissioner has called for sprinklers to be installed in all council tower blocks following the deadly Grenfell inferno.
Dany Cotton, who heads up the London Fire Brigade, said the disaster which left at least 80 people dead must be a ‘turning point’ for safety regulations.
It comes as it was revealed just two per cent of half of the UK’s council and social housing are kitted out with full sprinkler systems.
A public inquiry into the cause of the blaze in west London launches tomorrow, and will also examine safety regulations, the refurbishment of the tower, including the plastic cladding in the building, and the actions of public bodies before and after the fire.
London’s fire commissioner has called for sprinklers to be retrofitted in all council tower blocks following the deadly Grenfell blaze, pictured
The shocking figures were highlighted in a BBC Breakfast investigation which also found 68 per cent of those properties have only one staircase as an evacuation route in case of fire.
Ms Cotton told the BBC: ‘I think Grenfell should be a turning point. I support retrofitting – for me where you can save one life then it’s worth doing.
‘This can’t be optional, it can’t be a nice to have, this is something that must happen.
‘If that isn’t one of the recommendations (of the Grenfell Tower inquiry) then I will be so very disappointed.’
By law sprinklers are compulsory in tower blocks taller than 100ft, but the ruling only came into force in 2007 and was not applied retroactively, meaning Grenfell, built in 1974, did not have to have them installed.
An initial report from the inquiry is expected by next Easter and the Department of Communities and Local Government has said it will consider retrofitting sprinklers based on the results of the probe.
Previously former leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council Nick Paget-Brown, who stepped down in the aftermath of the fire, said sprinklers were not fitted in Grenfell because ‘residents did not want the disruption’.
The law made sprinklers compulsory in all tower blocks more than 100ft high in 2007, but it did not work retroactively, meaning it did not apply to Grenfell Tower, pictured, because it was built in 1974
Safety experts suggested sprinklers could have been installed in the 24-storey building for £200,000 during its £10million refurbishment.
But Mr Paget-Brown told Newsnight: ‘There was not a collective view that all the flats should be fitted with sprinklers because that would have delayed and made the refurbishment of the block more disruptive.
‘We are now talking retrospectively after the most enormous tragedy, but many residents felt that we needed to get on with the installation of new hot water systems, new boilers and that trying to retrofit more would delay the building and that sprinklers aren’t the answer.’
He added safety advice the council was given in the event of a fire was to try to contain it within one flat so the emergency services could better deal with it.
Meanwhile other councils are looking at retrofitting sprinklers, including Croydon Council which is set to spend £10million on 25 high-rise blocks.
Croydon Council, in south London, has taken the decision to retrofit sprinklers in its 25 high-rise blocks at a cost of £10m.
In Wales, homes built from 2016 onwards must include the safety feature after reforms passed through the Welsh Assembly.
According to the BBC, research in the US showed deaths per thousands in fires were 87 per cent lower when buildings were fitted with sprinklers.