Hundreds of families fearing for their safety following last summer’s Grenfell tower-block fire tragedy have called on Tower Hamlets Council to improve measures “before there is another disaster”.
Three out of the four petitions presented to last night’s council meeting at the town were about measures they say are needed in tower blocks at Limehouse, Stepney and the Isle of Dogs.
Father-of-three Dipu Jaigirdar presented a petition to councillors from the 100 families in the 23-storey Anglia House in Salmon Lane calling for sprinklers to be installed and a full fire safety evaluation carried out.
It follows the Grenfell blaze in North Kensington that spread rapidly through its cladding in June, claiming 71 lives with more unaccounted for, and the blaze at the Lakanal House in Camberwell where six people died in 2009.
“We want the council to re-check that Anglia House is safe for us,” Dipu told the East London Advertiser at the council meeting.
“There are elderly people, some disabled, who can’t get out quickly if there’s a fire.
“The council needs to give it attention to prevent any future tragedy and take action now before it’s too late.”
Their petition asks the council to “ensure water sprinklers are installed immediately in the aftermath of Grenfell Tower” and following recommendations in coroner reports after the Lakanal House blaze that sprinklers be fitted to all buildings higher than 98ft. It urges “the council act on our request urgently”.
Similar fears were voiced in a petition from families at Latham House on Stepney’s Mountmorres Estate, off the Commercial Road, and a petition from Galleon House at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs.
The Latham House tenants want an independent inspection of the cladding for fire safety and insulation qualities.
“We demand improvements if they are not up to standard,” their petition says. They are also calling for CCTV cameras on the estate.
The Galleon House petition was “extremely concerned over fire safety” and poor standard of work completed. It claimed complaints were being “neglected” following a fire on the first floor on October 14.
The petitions have all been referred by councillors to the authority’s chief executive Will Tuckley to be look into.
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