ANGRY leaseholders have protested in London to demand an end to the cladding scandal after a fire at a building bearing the same flammable material as Grenfell Tower.
More than 100 people gathered at the Isle of Dogs on Saturday to urge politicians to do more to protect leaseholders who face financial hardship in the face of huge bills to make buildings safe.
Following the Grenfell fire in west London in 2017, the government insisted that leaseholders would not bear the cost of removing the flammable materials.
But critics say the Fire Safety Bill will leave some people liable for costs of up to £50,000.
Residents fearful after fire engulfs Poplar tower block with Grenfell-style cladding
Emergency services were called to the residential area at 9am Pic: Fenella Breaks
Residents living near a 19-storey tower block in Poplar with cladding similar to Grenfell Tower described yesterday how they watched as the fire took hold.
Firefighters battled the blaze on the eighth, ninth and 10th floors of the block at New Providence Wharf, in Poplar, Tower Hamlets, getting it under control by 11.30am.
Building developer Ballymore said last night that the cladding did not combust and “played no part” in causing the fire.
But those living near the fire, which saw two adults taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and a further 38 adults and four children treated at the scene, spoke of their unease.
The spectre of the next Grenfell The fire at New Providence Wharf, a high rise in east London wrapped in Grenfell-style cladding, is a warning to ministers and landlords. The New Providence Wharf development in Poplar, east London, is one of the UK’s remaining high rises yet to have its Grenfell-style cladding removed. On the morning of 7 May, fire engines and ambulances were called to a fire rising through the 19-storey block D of the development, which comprises 559 homes across five blocks. They found parts of the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of the building alight. It took over three hours for over 120 firefighters to put out the blaze, the BBC reported.
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RESIDENTS trapped in a flat fire screamed help, open the door as 125 firefighters battled the tower block blaze today.
Crews from 20 fire engines worked to tackle the flames at New Providence Wharf on Fairmont Avenue in Poplar, East London.
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Photos from the scene showed billowing black smoke reaching the top of the 19-storey building.
And videos circulating on social media showed scores of ambulances and police cars lined up on the street below.
Residents could be heard screaming for help as the fire burned.
Parts of the eighth, ninth and tenth floors were alight, the London Fire Brigade said.