Five years after the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, in which 72 people were killed, Newham Council has told developers they face prosecution unless they act urgently to remove unsafe cladding in blocks and complete fire safety work.

In a letter to companies, owners and developers of blocks with dangerous ACM cladding the Council said that the aim was to make the 15,000 flats they collectively own, safe for residents.

Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz said: “The Council will not tolerate any further delays to the urgent and vital life-saving work required.”

The Government has already made clear that developers should pay for repairs to unsafe cladding work.

“Here in Newham we expect developers and private owners of buildings to do significantly more,” she told developers.

“Pay for fire safety improvements and repair other fire safety defects that cladding remediation works or other surveys may uncover, or we will pursue the strongest enforcement measures against you.”

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