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| London council commissioned fire-proof cladding for flats but flammable panels were still fitted, tests reveal | London council commissioned fire-proof cladding for flats but flammable panels were still fitted, tests reveal |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Camden Council will take “urgent legal advice” after fire-resistant external cladding it ordered for its tower blocks was not fitted. | Camden Council will take “urgent legal advice” after fire-resistant external cladding it ordered for its tower blocks was not fitted. |
| Instead aluminium panels with a polyethelene core were added to buildings in the Chalcots Estate, the authority said. | Instead aluminium panels with a polyethelene core were added to buildings in the Chalcots Estate, the authority said. |
| Council leader Georgia Gould said it reviewed fire safety at all its high-rise blocks following the deadly Grenfell Tower fire. | |
| The main contractor on the renovation of five blocks in the estate was Rydon, the same company that worked on Grenfell Tower, according to the council's and its own website. | |
| On its website, subcontractor Harley Facades said it carried out a £16m contract for the external finishing of the buildings, including 4mm aluminium composite material rainscreen cladding. | |
| Ms Gould said: “The arrangement of the cladding and insulation used on Camden Council’s buildings significantly differs from that on Grenfell Tower. | |
| “It includes fire-resistant rock wool insulation designed to prevent the spread of fire and fire resistant sealant between floors, designed to stop a high-intensity flat fire from spreading to neighbouring flats. | “It includes fire-resistant rock wool insulation designed to prevent the spread of fire and fire resistant sealant between floors, designed to stop a high-intensity flat fire from spreading to neighbouring flats. |
| “This arrangement previously contained a fire at a flat in Taplow block in 2012. These are significant and proven arrangements to stop the spread of fire. | “This arrangement previously contained a fire at a flat in Taplow block in 2012. These are significant and proven arrangements to stop the spread of fire. |
| “The new results from the laboratory show that the outer cladding panels themselves are made up of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core. | “The new results from the laboratory show that the outer cladding panels themselves are made up of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core. |
| “Therefore the panels that were fitted were not to the standard that we had commissioned. In light of this, we will be informing the contractor that we will be taking urgent legal advice.” | |
| She added: “Whilst we are clear that our cladding design and insulation significantly differs to that at Grenfell Tower, the external cladding panels did not satisfy our independent laboratory testing or the high standards we set for contractors. | |
| “Camden Council has decided it will immediately begin preparing to remove these external cladding panels from the five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate.” | “Camden Council has decided it will immediately begin preparing to remove these external cladding panels from the five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate.” |
| Rydon said last week its work on Grenfell Tower “met all required building regulations - as well as fire regulation and health & safety standards”. |