Grenfell contractors ‘knew that cladding would fail’

FIRMS THAT revamped Grenfell Tower appeared to know two years before the disaster that a planned cladding system would fail if exposed to a fire, emails disclosed to the public inquiry suggest.

Designers, contractors and fire safety consultants were said to have “expressly foreseen” the risk that would lead to a rapidly spreading fire which killed 72 people and destroyed the highrise block, according to messages from March 2015.

Main contractor Rydon, external wall subcontractor Harley Facades, refurbishment architects Studio E and fire inspectors Exova are alleged to have known cladding for which the 129-flat tower was to be encased would burn if exposed to external flames.

The inquiry’s chief lawyer has warned companies not to refuse to accept any blame for the June 2017 fire, in which 72 people died, by pointing the finger at each other.

The email exchanges were introduced to the inquiry by Craig Orr QC, counsel for Celotex, which supplied the insulation used in the renovation of the 24-storey block. Mr Orr said: “Whilst expressed in slightly different terms, the substance of what each of Harley, Studio E, Exova and Rydon was openly acknowledging in the above emails was that the cladding would fail in the event of a fire with external flaming.

“This email exchange is also directly relevant to the claim made by Harley on Monday that they had no idea and no reason to believe that the primary materials used on the cladding facade would behave as they did on the night of the fire. Harley, it appears, knew that the cladding would fail, indeed would fail rather quickly.”

Exova said criticism of it is “unjustified” because it was not consulted about the combustible materials, while manufacturer Arconic said “it was the responsibility of others to decide whether or not to choose that product for a particular project”.