165 out of 173 social housing blocks fail fire safety cladding tests

Just eight of 173 high-rise social housing blocks fitted with aluminium cladding have been found to pass building regulations linked to fire safety, Sajid Javid has said.

Updating the House of Commons on the response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, said local authorities had been advised on what steps they needed to take.

He said large-scale Building Research Establishment (BRE) tests on 173 local authority blocks over 18 metres tall known to have aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding found only eight passed BR135, the relevant building regulations.

Of seven combinations of ACM cladding and internal insulation which were tested, four fell short of what was required and three met standards. The versions which failed safety tests were used on 165 blocks.

Javid added that safety concerns about cladding had spread beyond fire risks. Cladding in some blocks had been identified as possibly unsafe in high winds, with some buildings capable of collapse.

Sajid Javid said: “Of course, the issues raised by Grenfell extend well beyond Kensington. Across England there are 173 social housing buildings that are over 18 metres tall and clad with some form of aluminium composite material, or ACM.

“In July, the Building Research Establishment began a series of large-scale fire safety tests on ACM cladding systems, comprising both the visible cladding and the internal insulation.

“The aim was to establish whether each system, when properly fitted, complied with the relevant Building Regulations guidance, BR135.

“Three of the seven cladding systems that were tested were found to meet the criteria set out in BR135. The other 4 fell short of what was required.

“The cladding systems that passed the test are in use on 8 social housing towers.

“Systems that failed are in use on 165.

“The owners of affected buildings have been given detailed advice drawn up by our independent expert advisory panel.”