Cladding on three Plymouth tower blocks to be removed 'as soon as possible'

Cladding from the Mount Wise Towers in Devonport will be removed as soon as possible.

Earlier in the week tests were carried out on a sample panel of the cladding on the Towers which discovered it was made from an aluminium coating with a polyethylene core. This type of cladding has been given the worst fire safety rating under new guidelines brought in by the government following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Residents were written to by Plymouth Community Homes, the company which owns the tower blocks, advising them that the cladding was being tested. Now, specialists will remove the combustible elements of the cladding immediately.

One resident who lives on the eleventh floor says he's still still worried after watching what happened at Grenfell Tower.

Extra fire safety precautions are also being brought in on the Lynher, Tavy and Tamar high-rise blocks of flats, including:

• A further review of the Fire Risk Assessment

• 24/7 monitoring of the Towers by security teams

• Checks on the fire doors

• Installing additional fire protection to the interiors of the stairwells of each Tower

Longer-term measures are being taken too:

• Installing heat detectors into every flat in addition to the current mains-wired smoke alarms

• A sprinkler system will be installed in each of the Towers

Local MP Luke Pollard says he just wants to residents to be reassured that they can stay in their homes.

Plymouth City Council is urging the government to fund the urgent removal of the cladding on the blocks of flats. A community hub has opened close to the flats where, Councillor Mark Coker says, anyone can come and ask questions about fire safety in their home, not just those living in the tower blocks.

The cladding was originally installed in 2000 and met with all the fire and building regulations at the time, but action is being taken now in response to the new information and guidance issued by Central Government. This is following the devastating blaze at Grenfell Tower in West London.

The fire at Grenfell started in a fridge freezer. The number of people who died in the Grenfell fire - including those classed as missing presumed dead - remains at 79, police have said. Of those, only nine have been formally identified.

When the cladding was put up on the Plymouth tower blocks, it marked the beginning of a transformation in the areawhich had suffered from years of decline.

• Anyone who is worried or has any questions can call Plymouth Community Homes on 0808 230 6500.