Grenfell fire alarm firm in fraud probe
BRITAIN: The contractor that serviced fire alarms at Grenfell Tower is embroiled in a police investigation into allegations of bribery and fraud.
Lakehouse won a contract last year to service alarm systems in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
The alarms in Grenfell Tower are understood to have been tested in January and found to have been working properly. There were complaints from residents on the night of the blaze in the 24-storey high-rise last month that the alarms could not be heard. However, other reports have said that the system functioned properly.
Lakehouse, based in Essex, was caught up in the investigation after concerns over a separate fire safety contract with Hackney council in east London. Scotland Yard said 10 people had been arrested on suspicion of bribery, fraud and money laundering offences.
The council has written this week to social housing landlords across the country about the issue, saying it contacted police after suspecting fraud, overcharging and defective work carried out by a subcontractor on behalf of Lakehouse.
Philip Glanville, mayor of Hackney, said he issued the letter because of growing concerns about business practices in the construction industry.
Lakehouse denied any wrongdoing and said there was no suggestion of fraud on its part. It said it had disclosed information about the dispute with the council and was continuing to co-operate with the Metropolitan Police.
The Grenfell Tower fire has also brought into focus issues of government policy towards fire safety. A Whitehall paper produced under the coalition government in 2012 proposed the repeal of 23 local acts that it said burdened the construction sector with extra costs and regulation.
The paper argued that more than £1 million could be saved over a 35-year period by removing different local rules on sprinkler systems and smoke extractors.
Meanwhile, the families of victims of the Grenfell Tower fire have been told at a meeting with a coroner and the police that their relatives may not be identified until the end of the year.
At least 80 people died or are presumed missing in the disaster. The private meeting took place yesterday with Westminster coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox and Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy in attendance.
Lotifa Begum, a coordinator for the charity Muslim Aid, said the families had been told that the ‘‘recovery phase’’, where the authorities identify bodies, could take until the end of the year.
She said some of the families at the meeting were ‘‘very upset and angry’’, and a few became overwhelmed and had to leave.
The family of Jessica Urbano, who lived on the 20th floor of the building, arrived at the meeting wearing T-shirts saying ‘‘Happy Birthday Jessie’’ along with a picture of the girl, on what a family member said would have been her 13th birthday.
Some family members were not happy with how the meeting was organised. The families were told before the meeting that they would not be allowed to put questions directly to Wilcox or Cundy, and had to email their questions by 11am the day before.
– The Times, PA