Ipswich flats' 'Grenfell' fire patrol costs owners £300 a month

Residents of a block of flats said they had no warning about a £300-a-month charge for a patrol aimed at preventing a Grenfell Tower-style cladding fire.

The patrol was introduced at Cardinal Lofts in Ipswich after a safety report identified a problem with external "combustible materials" that could spread a fire.

Resident Claire Hamblion said some residents "may not be able to pay".

The management company and owners have been contacted for comment.

Cardinal Lofts, on the waterfront, has 70 luxury flats on eight floors.

A fire safety report in 2018 said the building was a "minimal risk" but a new assessment in October said "combustible materials" on the outside "provides a route for fire to spread".

The building's management has started a "waking watch service" which patrols 24 hours a day to maintain fire safety, as recommended in the report.

It said the patrol should be in place until a temporary alarm with "heat detectors in the rooms with windows to outside" was installed.

Once "combustible materials from the building's façade" were taken down, the temporary alarm could be removed or changed, it said.

Ms Hamblion said: "We had absolutely no warning, no discussion, no consultation."

"With the combined pressure of the ongoing Covid crisis, I fear that many residents could be at risk of losing their homes."

The Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people in June 2017 and the first phase of the inquiry concluded cladding fuelled the fire.

Following the fire, attempts were made to establish whether other high-rise buildings had similar cladding, which would then be removed.

Sarah Cushion, who owns a flat in Cardinal Lofts, said she was "absolutely astonished" owners and resident were not consulted about the patrols.

She said the patrols were unnecessary with "so much fire safety prevention" in the building, including fire alarms and fire doors in each apartment.

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