Council chiefs have moved to reassure homeowners who had their homes cladded as part of the Government’s Green Deal Communities scheme following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.
Following the devastating blaze last Wednesday, Wychavon District Council has spoken to Wetherby, the contractor who fitted external insulation and cladding to a number of properties in the district.
The contractor has confirmed the cladding they used is not the one used on the Grenfell Tower. They also assured homeowners the cladding has a Class 0 or low risk rating for the behaviour of the spread of fire.
In a statement, Wetherby said: “Although much information is yet to be released on the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, the system used to refurbish and clad the block was ventilated rainscreen system and not an insulated render/brick slip system.
“Wetherby Building Systems complete in-depth fire testing on our EWI systems through the British Board of Agreement and BRE to ensure our systems achieve the highest industry standards and meet current building regulations with regard to fire resistance and spread of flame.”
Social housing provider Rooftop, which owns thousands of properties in the Vale, has also moved to reassure its tenants concerned about the safety of external wall cladding on their homes.
Rooftop said: “The external insulating cladding that we use in the vast majority of homes is Rockwool covered by render. Rockwool is non-combustible, and render is non-combustible. There isn’t a gap between the wall and the Rockwool, or the Rockwool and the render.
“There are around 80 properties which have slightly different solid block insulation. These systems hold the highest industry standards and meet current building regulations with regard to fire resistance and spread of flame.”
