In the shadow of Grenfell

HOUSING ENFORCERS: FIRE SAFETY SPECIAL BBC1, 8pm A SIGN on the ground floor of a tower block in Newcastle reads: “If in doubt, get out.”

It’s in contrast to some advice which suggests staying put in the event of a fire. And it’s enough to send a chill down your spine.

Matt Allwright has been in hundreds of unsafe and uninhabitable homes for his TV reports, concluding the most shocking are those at risk of fire – often with no means of escape.

Of course the Grenfell Tower tragedy has made us all think hard about whether our property is safe.

In this special, he investigates why fire breaks out, how to stop it – and what can happen when tenants and landlords fail to take fire safety seriously.

“Last year, fire services attended over 30,000 residential fires in England alone,” he tells us. Another scary fact is that you are 10 times more likely to die if you live more than three storeys up.

Matt, along with housing enforcers and fire safety experts, meet troublesome tenants – like Ali who refuses to take care of his home – and shaken victims like Martin who had a fire in his flat.

From dodgy appliances and careless behaviour to revolting kitchens, clutter and overcrowded properties, there are many reasons fires can break out.

But in one home, where it is clear an entire family are living in a tiny box room, with clothes hanging everywhere and a lethal portable heater, Matt realises there’s a wider problem at hand.

Looking visibly upset, he says: “Nobody in the UK should be living like this. But sometimes the alternative is homelessness.”