SPORT VENUE AUTHORITY TO ADVISE FOOTBALL CLUBS
FOOTBALL clubs across the country, including Newcastle and Sunderland, will be asked to check any cladding they have in their stadiums for fire risk following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Letters will be sent out to all 92 clubs in the Premier League and Football League by the Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA) – the Government’s expert body on safety at sports grounds in the UK. The authority has advised the owners, and operators, of sports grounds and stadiums to check their buildings for similar cladding to that used at Grenfell Tower, even though the investigation into the tragedy, which has so far claimed 80 lives, is ongoing. Ken Scott, chief inspector of the SGSA, said: “As a precaution we are writing to sports grounds to advise them to check any cladding and review their fire risk assessments if necessary. “We don’t want to cause alarm or add additional burden to sports grounds, but it is important that sports ground management are being proactive and are never complacent about people’s safety. “It is important to stress that cladding is not of itself dangerous, but the correct type should be used in the appropriate location.” The authority said sports grounds generally do not pose as great a safety risk as tower blocks – in which people could be asleep when a fire breaks out. And stadiums benefit from high levels of vigilance when in use and are often fitted with active and passive fire detection systems to help reduce any fire risk. A spokesman for SAFC said the Stadium of Light had robust fire safety initiatives in place. He added: “Naturally there is a high level of vigilance in relation to fire safety on both match days and non-match days. This includes fire detection and suppression systems, which are fitted throughout the stadium, CCTV detection cameras and a dedicated team of fire stewards