New cladding fire risk identified and could be “tip of iceberg”

A London Council has warned that low-rise timber-frame homes retrofitted with a fire-spreading plastic cladding could be mirrored across the country.

Following its investigation of the Moss Hall Grove fire in Finchley, Barnet Council has said that other properties across the UK might also be at risk.

It has since informed the Government and the Major of London, Sadiq Khan of its findings.

“We believe the 580 affected homes in Barnet are just the tip of the iceberg across the country,” said Ross Houston, the council’s deputy leader. “We’re sharing details with other local authorities and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities as clearly there is need for a national plan to raise awareness and work out how best to support homeowners.”

The one- and two-storey homes were built with timber frames from the 1930s to the 1960s but were retrofitted with UPVC cladding panels in the 1980s.

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