People in building with Grenfell-style cladding and combustible balconies also said fire wardens were ineffective
Residents of an east London tower block that caught fire earlier this month had warned about the danger of smoke spread and protested that fire wardens were ineffective during a years-long wrangle to make their homes safe, the Guardian has learned.
Leaseholders at New Providence Wharf, which features Grenfell-style cladding and combustible wooden balconies, told the developer Ballymore more than two years ago that fire had caused smoke to spread to such an extent that an apartment several storeys up and across in an adjoining block was “severely affected”, but no one contacted the tenant to help her evacuate. And only eight days before this month’s fire they complained that waking watch patrols, which are costing leaseholders £47,000 a month, were “not fit for purpose”.
