All council tower blocks must have sprinklers, says London Fire Brigade chief

The tragedy at Grenfell Tower must be a “turning point”, London’s fire chief has said as she called for all high-rise council blocks to be fitted with sprinkler system.

”I support retrofitting — for me where you can save one life then it’s worth doing,” Dany Cotton told the BBC.

The commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, said: “I think Grenfell should be a turning point. This can’t be optional, it can’t be a nice to have, this is something that must happen.”

She added that she would be “so very disappointed” if the inquiry into the inferno did not recommend mandatory sprinkler systems.

In 2007, sprinklers were made compulsory in all new-build blocks rising over 30 metres, but no requirement for retro-fitting older blocks was established. Grenfell Tower was built in 1974.

An investigation by BBC Breakfast revealed that only two per cent of the UK’s council and housing association-owned tower blocks have full sprinkler systems.

Of those, 68 per cent have only one staircase to evacuate, responses to their freedom of information requests showed.

The revelations came on the eve of a public inquiry into the disaster in which at least 80 people died.

The corporation questioned 56 local authorities and housing associations in towns and cities and received responses covering around half of the UK’s estimated 4,000 tower blocks.

A spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said: “Public safety is paramount. Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Government established a comprehensive building safety programme to ensure a fire like this can never happen again.

“This included commissioning an independent review of building regulations and fire safety. We will consider this issue in light of the recommendations of this review and the findings of the Public Inquiry.”