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Government warns landlords insulation systems at risk of falling from tower blocks
The government has warned landlords that the insulation system on some tower blocks may be at risk of falling off.
In an advice note published this afternoon, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said buildings with an external wall insulation system made with either a render or brick-slip finish may be “vulnerable to deterioration, resulting in parts of the [external wall insulation] system falling from buildings”.
DCLG officials said they were not aware of any injuries as a result of falling insulation systems but there had been a “small number of instances” where parts of the system had fallen. The note said building owners should take “appropriate action” to make sure their buildings are safe.
The insulation systems can fall off buildings if they are of an “inadequate design” and poorly installed.
High-speed winds and poor water tightness increase the risk of the insulation falling from height.
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In September, communities secretary Sajid Javid told parliament that cladding on some tower blocks can “fail” in strong winds. Cladding had fallen off buildings in Glasgow, he said.
The government has focused its attention on aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding as part of its building safety work programme. This cladding was used on Grenfell Tower.
The vast majority of ACM samples from tower blocks that have been tested have failed to meet building regulation guidelines.
