Concerns over the safety of hundreds of tower blocks housing an estimated 100,000 people have been raised by residents and construction experts, with warnings that the properties are at risk of collapse.
In a report run by The Independent newspaper it is claimed that 41,000 flats in total are at risk due to flaws in the Large Panel System (LPS) construction method used by many councils in the 1960s and 1970s. This is identical to the way Ronan Point was built in east London – it collapsed in 1968 after a gas explosion. The flawed construction method has reportedly left cracks in some flats wide enough to allow residents to slide their hands in between the walls.
It also leaves them at risk of collapse in the event of a fire or gas explosion. The newspaper says that structural defects have already been discovered at LPS blocks in Leicester, Rugby, Portsmouth and two estates in London over the past year. Hundreds of council tenants and leaseholders are said to be in the process of being moved out for their safety. It is feared the defects could be present in at least 575 similar tower blocks across the UK. Tower Blocks UK, a campaign and research group, is calling for the Government to set up a nationwide safety audit, ensuring inspections are carried out at all LPS tower blocks in the UK.
“This is an even bigger issue than Grenfell because more tower blocks are affected by these structural problems than by cladding problems,” said Sam Webb, a retired architect who is the co-founder of Tower Blocks UK. “The Government needs to take responsibility for this as a matter of urgency.”
The campaign group is urging the Government to commission the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government or the Building Research Establishment to lead the inspections.
“The Government needs to carry out a safety audit to identify all the large panel system tower blocks, and make sure qualified experts check whether or not these blocks are safe,” said Frances Clarke of Tower Blocks UK.
“We have the face up to this because residents can’t be left at risk living in potentially unsafe buildings,” she added.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Housing told The Independent that the department held its first forum last week to discuss the LPS tower block problem with local authority representatives. “Building owners are responsible for checking their properties and we have given councils and housing associations advice on checking the structural safety of buildings which use large panel systems,” said the Government spokeswoman.
The Local Government Association confirmed the meeting had taken place but could not say how many council representatives attended.
By Patrick Mooney, editor