Tower block residents billed for thousands as fire patrols on rise

THE increase in “waking watch” fire patrols intended to prevent another Grenfell tragedy can be revealed today as tower block residents are being forced to pay thousands of pounds for the protection.

At least 420 around-the-clock security patrols are being carried out at buildings known to still have flammable or dangerous cladding fitted. The so-called “waking watches” are conducted to try to spot a fire and evacuate occupants quickly and safely.

The patrols are meant to be a temporary measure put in place until the dangerous cladding is removed. But, there have been widespread delays in carrying out the work.

Forty fire authorities from across the country responded to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Inside Housing revealing that at least 420 such patrols are in place at high-rise flats. Many of those date back to June 2017, when 72 people were killed and 70 injured in the Grenfell Tower fire in London.

Meanwhile, said they had those blocks.

A spokesman for the National Fire Chiefs Council, which represents all UK fire services, said: “We are concerned that dangerous cladding remains on many buildings and still has not been removed.”

While some social landlords and leaseholders have footed the bills for these patrols, others have demanded that residents pay increased fees.

It emerged last month that residents at one Birmingham tower block with flammable cladding must pay an insurance bill that has quadrupled to fund 24-hour fire patrols. Residents of 141 flats at Islington Gates have seen service charges rise to between £7,000 and £19,000 each after the building’s annual insurance increased from £36,000 in 2019 to £192,000 because timber cladding and flammable insulation fell short of safety guidance.