Sprinklers to be fitted in three Reading high-rise blocks

The sprinklers are being installed at the three Coley High Rise blocks

Sprinklers will be installed in three high-rise flats in Reading under £3m safety plans drawn up following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Reading Borough Council unanimously voted to fit the sprinklers in the Coley High Rise flats after they were recommended by inspectors.

The council said sprinklers were not a legal necessity, but it would install them as it valued residents' safety.

Seventy-two people died in the Grenfell Tower blaze in June 2017.

The council committed in February 2018 to spending £2.5m on improving fire safety regulations at the three 15-storey tower blocks on Wensley Road.

An inspector found they did not have the same hazardous cladding as Grenfell Tower, but recommended fitting sprinklers nonetheless.

The total cost of the safety measures has now risen to £3.35m because only one provider has bid for the contract, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor John Ennis said: "We legally don't need to retrospectively refit sprinklers in Coley but we value the safety of our residents too much to compromise their safety.

"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the safety of our tenants."

The works, which include replacing the water storage facility as well as installing sprinklers in the 267 flats, are due to be finished by July 2020 and could start by June.