Six blocks of flats in Cardiff, Wales fail fire safety tests implemented post-Grenfell

Six high-rise blocks of flats in Cardiff, Wales have failed fire safety tests, despite initially passing them in the immediate aftermath of the Grenfell Tower disaster in June 2017.
The council-run blocks in Wales had passed the first set of tests that were issues, but newer tests have shown that the cladding has fallen significantly short of present-day safety standards.
On the 19th March, close to 600 affected residents were in formed, while the council set up 24-hour fire warden patrols inside the buildings that were impacted.
All of the buildings involved were between 11 and 16 storeys in height, with between 75 and 214 residents in each building. The buildings in question were Channel View in Grangetown, Loudoun and Nelson Houses in Butetown, and three blocks at Lydstep Flats in Llandaff North.
In addition to setting up fire warden patrols, Cardiff council also hand-delivered letters to all the occupants affected.
Residents were also told that the council were examining just how to get rid of the cladding “quickly and effectively.”
In May 2018, work is expected to be completed on the fire doors in the apartments, which are being upgraded, while sprinklers will be fitted in all of the blocks. The doors in questions are specifically designed to hold fire back for 60 minutes.
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Lynda Thorne, said: “Naturally, everyone living in these blocks will be very concerned by this news but I want to reassure them that we are working closely with South Wales Fire and Rescue Service to ensure we follow the latest fire-safety guidance and to decide the best way forward.”
Last year, consultants didn’t find any form of aluminium composite materials (ACM) in any of the blocks, which is the type of cladding that was blamed for the rapid spread of the fire at Grenfell, however they did recommend further tests – which subsequently showed that the cladding systems fail the current combustibility standards.