Sprinklers may not be best safety system,

Christopher Hope

Martin Evans RETRO-FITTING tower blocks which were built decades ago with sprinklers is not always the best way to protect them from fires, a Cabinet minister has said.

Philip Hammond, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, said the Government wants to see the technical advice before deciding whether to go ahead with such a move in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The comments came despite a coroner’s investigation into a similar blaze in 2009 that killed six people in London recommended building regulations be updated, and called for developers refurbishing high-rise blocks to be encouraged to install sprinkler systems.

Leading fire safety experts have said it is not always necessary to retro-fit sprinklers to make a building safe, according to Mr Hammond.

He told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: “My understanding is that the best expert advice is that retrofitting sprinklers may not always be the best technical way of ensuring fire safety in a building. If it is, it should be done, but let’s get the technical advice, properly evaluated by a public inquiry, and then let’s decide how to go forward.”

It has also emerged that the type of cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower is not permitted on tower blocks.

Current building regulations stipulate that aluminium cladding with a flammable plastic core should not be used in buildings above 18 metres.

That would suggest that the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, which was completed last year, should not have passed building regulations.

Mr Hammond said the criminal investigation into the fire would explore