Landlords and managers of tower blocks are facing urgent calls to remove cladding, despite coronavirus social distancing measures, as new tests show just how fast flames can spread.
In the past cladding was used to improve the appearance of tower blocks and green policies encouraged the use of cladding to improve insulation to make buildings more energy-efficient.
But the recent tests show that cladding previously assessed to be safer than that used on the Grenfell Tower burns almost as quickly as the aluminium and plastic panels (ACM) blamed for the disaster.
High-pressure laminate panels (HPL) cover many buildings in the UK, however, the government has only recently agreed to support and fund their removal.
The beginning of the test which was privately commissioned by the MCRMA
Government ministers had previously suggested that removing this type of cladding was less of a priority than removing the ACM type which covered the Grenfell Tower.
Footage of the new flammability tests, obtained by BBC News, shows flames reaching the top of a 9m (30ft) test wall in seven minutes and 45 seconds with temperatures approaching 700°C.
The test should last 30 minutes and the temperature recorded should stay below 600°C.
The results not only prove HPL cladding systems are not up to the required standard but the alarming speed at which flames could spread on a residential building block.
The test was intended to simulate cladding on a residential building block catching fire
Identical tests carried out by the government showed the Grenfell type of ACM cladding, failed in between five and six and a half minutes meaning the HPL cladding is almost just as bad.
The new tests on HPL cladding were commissioned privately by the Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association (MCRMA).
Dr Jonathan Evans, a member of the MCRMA, said the results were ‘shocking’ and raised questions about the lack of government action to get this type of cladding removed.
He said: ‘With the vast majority of the country staying at home due to Covid-19 restrictions, it is even more important that people immediately understand the risks of the buildings they occupy.’
In the beginning the cladding appears to be withstanding the flames, preventing their spread
The rivets holding the panels together popped out of place allowing more oxygen to get in
‘Even if the fire doesn’t initially spread quickly, do not be complacent as it can accelerate rapidly once it takes hold.’
He pointed out that, for around six minutes, the cladding itself was not burning extensively but then the fire quickly took hold in joins between the panels and raced to the top of the test rig.
Another serious concern was the way the panel popped out the rivets holding them in place when on fire, allowing the flames to spread and creating space for more air to fuel the fire.
The MCRMA has withheld the brand name of the two products tested, but the HPL cladding is a ‘standard’ version of a product widely used in the construction industry.
The flames reached the limits of the test 22 minutes 15 seconds earlier than expected
The test is stopped after 7 minutes 45 seconds. It should last 30 minutes to meet standards
Dr Evans said he commissioned the test because the government had not done enough to highlight the dangers of HPL cladding, which is made from paper combined with resin.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government only made the test results of a more fire-resistant HPL type of cladding publicly available last year.
Grenfell type ACM cladding, however, has been extensively tested, triggering a building safety crisis when it was found to spread fire rapidly.
Dr Evans said the government’s expert advisers appeared to be suggesting that ACM was ‘uniquely dangerous’ without being honest about the wider issues with cladding to the construction industry or the general public.
The government issued advice stating that the ACM cladding used at Grenfell ‘presents a significant fire hazard’ and action should be taken to remove it ‘as soon as possible’.
The advice for HPL cladding of the type tested has never been as urgent.
Residents were trapped in the inferno at Grenfell Tower in the Lancaster West estate near Ladbroke Grove. The inferno was exacerbated by widely used ACM cladding
The government has merely stated that: ‘These systems should be remediated.’
Despite the perception that HPL cladding is safer than the ACM cladding, there have been significant fires involving HPL cladding.
In November 2019, a fire decimated a student accommodation block, The Cube, in Bolton, which was covered with the same class of HPL cladding tested by the MCRMA.
If the MCRMA tests carried out on HPL panels last week had been done in 2017, when the government tested the Grenfell style ACM cladding, it may have resulted in HPL panels being removed from buildings as well.
Thankfully no-one was killed in The Cube fire, but 200 firefighters were called out, and students had to be rehoused while the building was repaired.
The government has since asked to see the privately commissioned test results and has commissioned further research.
Last week Housing and Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick said the removal of dangerous cladding was ‘absolutely essential’ and should continue despite the coronavirus crisis, or while maintaining social distancing.
Since the Grenfell fire, the government has been asked to pay eye-watering sums of money for ACM cladding to be taken down.
In the wake of Grenfell, councils and housing associations were given £600m to fund the removal of ACM cladding.
In May 2019, the government paid another £200m for ACM cladding to be removed from privately owned buildings.
Only since the beginning of this year has the government extended the scheme to cover a wider range of problematic building materials including HPL cladding.
An extra £1billion will now be made available to achieve this.
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it had already clarified that the type of high-pressure laminate panel tested, with a fire classification of Class C or D, was unsafe and should not be used on high-rise buildings.
‘We have listened to leaseholders and the government has recently announced a £1bn fund to remediate high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding.’