Hurricane claims just don’t stand up

I AM pleased the Grenfell Tower Inquiry is under way. It is important that the tragedy, in which at least 80 people died and many more lost their homes, is investigated and lessons are learned. A community was torn apart by events that could have been prevented.

But while the focus has been placed on the tower’s cladding, the root cause of the fire appears to have lost its prominence.

It is believed that the tragedy was caused by a faulty fridge freezer and if the right checks had been implemented, the disaster could have been avoided.

Policymakers need to realise this and make sure improved standards are implemented to minimise the chance of something like this from happening again.

More than 6,200 domestic fires were caused by an appliance or supply fault in 2015-16, according to Government statistics, and during that period, electrical fires caused 1,380 injuries and fatalities. Some of these events could have been prevented if the right safety standards had been put in place.

By landlords and homeowners carrying out basic electrical tests on a regular basis, it is possible to help prevent these tragedies from happening.

Electrical appliances such as fridge freezers and kettles can be routinely safety-checked using a fast, easy and affordable I WENT to Sacred Heart High School between 2001 and 2008. I have organised a school reunion at the Marriott Hotel, Gosforth Park, Newcastle, to take place on Saturday May 12, 2018.

Tickets are £25 each, and partners are welcome to come along.

There will be a minimum of 120 to maximum 250 guests, a sumptuous buffet, photo booth with a professional photographer, DJ until 1am and projector to show loads of school photos.

This reunion is strictly only process called portable appliance testing (PAT).

People can then use their electrical equipment with the confidence that it is safe to use and fit for purpose.

And with insurance companies taking a greater interest in appliance safety when assessing claims, there is even more reason to make sure electrical equipment has been safety-checked.

As experts in the field of PAT for the girls who went to Sacred Heart between 2001 and 2008, and for the teachers who taught us.

I have created a Facebook event page called 2018 School Reunion Class of 2008.

I moved to Fife, Scotland in 2011, so it has been a challenge to plan this 150 miles away! This reunion is all about celebrating our time at Sacred Heart, celebrating our achievements since leaving school and paying tribute to the teachers. LISA THOMPSON Email: t.lisamarie@yahoo.co.uk testing, we know that it can not only help to protect lives, it can also prevent the likes of another Grenfell Tower tragedy from occurring. ANDREW UPTON, managing

director, Seaward Group JACK Fletcher of Chopwell is wrong to determine that pollution is the cause of hurricanes, as the real cause is, of course, atmospheric pressure.

Both NASA and the World Meteorological Organisation state that the number of hurricanes has not increased in recent years.

The only climate organisation that argues that the intensity and frequency of hurricanes has increased is the discredited Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a UN organisation that was investigated and sanctioned by the UN for its corruption in deliberately issuing incorrect information.

This was information that had been skewered by the IPCC’s refusal to accept