Urgent fire inspections carried out in Milton Keynes after Grenfell Tower tragedy

Fire experts have this week inspected high-rise flats all over MK in a bid to avoid a Grenfell Tower-type disaster.

Within hours of the tragedy, councillors ordered the urgent assessments - and vowed to instal extra safety features if necessary.

Luckily none of the buildings have the flammable, plastic-filled cladding that turned Grenfell into an inferno.

The tallest tower block in MK is Bletchley’s Mellish Court, which has 18 floors.

“I thought of Mellish Court as soon as news broke of the London tragedy,” admitted ward councillor Nigel Long.

“The building has been declared as meeting fire safety regulations, but I know the stairs are narrow and it would be a squeeze for people to escape quickly. Thus we will be looking at installing fire safety equipment and possibly a sprinkler system.”

Next to be given approvals were the 11 storey Gables block in Wolverton and the six storey flats at Serpentine Court on the Lakes Estate.

The council also swiftly checked the cladding currently being used on houses as part of the Lakes Estate regeneration scheme. They discovered it was made of fibre-reinforced cement, which has no known fire risk.

Councillors are now urging more safety checks be carried out by owners private buiildings such as Bletchley’s cladding-covered Stephenson House.

Council leader Pete Marland: “My heart goes out to the families of those who have died or lost their homes in the dreadful fire. That is why I have made sure the council is revisiting all its fire inspections in MK.”