Tower block has flammable cladding, developer says

A tower block that has had "repeated lift breakdowns" is covered in unsafe, flammable cladding, developers have confirmed.

The 15-storey Lexington Apartments building in Slough, Berkshire, is about 500m (1,650ft) from the nearby Mosaic Apartments, which also has flammable cladding and caught fire last month.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) spoke to residents who said the combination of flammable cladding and unreliable lifts was an "accident waiting to happen".

A spokesperson for building manager One Housing said the company was working to replace the cladding and fix the lift issues "as quickly as possible".

The confirmation comes amid repeated lift breakdowns in the building, including a firefighting lift, which firefighters can use to send equipment to higher floors during a fire.

Residents said at least one of the lifts had broken down repeatedly over a period of about eight months, and more recently, the second remaining lift got stuck with people inside meaning firefighters had to cut them loose.

One resident, Dave, who has multiple health issues and uses a walking stick, said it took him 20 minutes to walk to his fifth floor flat.

Another said she was "heartbroken" after her father was left "stuck inside" his flat on his 79th birthday.

She said her family could not sell the flat because of the cladding, making them "prisoners in our own home with a double sentence".

One Housing apologised to residents for its "unacceptable level of service", adding it had appointed a new contractor to try and fix the "repeated lift breakdowns".

Regarding the cladding, the company said building safety was a "top priority" and it was working its way through a timeline of remediation works "based on risk".

"We are working through the highest-risk buildings first," a spokesperson said.

"We apologise to residents at Lexington who want remediation completed quickly and we continue to work as quickly as possible to complete the necessary building works."

Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service said it was working with One Housing on fire safety measures.

It said the cladding at the front on the ground floor had already been replaced and the remaining remedial work was "planned" with "additional interim fire safety measures" in place in the meantime.

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