Northampton flat residents speak of fears over unsafe cladding

Polly Scrivener received a letter from the council to tell her her flat's cladding is "not compliant with fire safety regulations"

A tenant of a block of 50 flats with cladding that no longer meets safety standards said she was "very worried" after learning it will not be replaced.

West Northamptonshire Council said it would remove cladding on a tower block at Alliston Gardens, Northampton, but not from its three-storey blocks.

Instead they will receive daily checks, externally and in communal areas.

Polly Scrivener lives in a three-storey block and said: "Where there's risks to life, those risks should be put right."

"We've all got the same cladding, it was done at the same time, they're going to renew the cladding of the external stairwell of the tower block to ensure safety for people exiting - but not here, we can fry," the 75-year-old said.

Social housing provider Northamptonshire Partnership Homes said people in Alliston Gardens were being given the latest information

The widow, who has lived in the three storey block since 2001, added: "If there's a fire externally and we couldn't get out of the doors, I couldn't get out of the window on my own, I'd never be able to climb up... the windows don't open wide enough."

Building fire safety standards were tightened in January and contractors have been compiling reports into about 10 unnamed buildings in Northampton.

• Residents of 50 flats told cladding is unsafe

• Cladding in two blocks of flats 'not up to standard'

• Swift fire safety action needed for flats - council

West Northamptonshire Council said it would assess cladding on blocks of flats more than 11 metres (36ft) or seven storeys high in the town.

Resident Ruth Wright is calling for the cladding to be removed from all flats, not just the high rise ones

Steve Feast, chief executive of the council's social housing provider Northamptonshire Partnership Homes, said it was "working closely" with the council and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service "to quickly carry out investigations and make arrangements to remove any defective cladding".

"We understand this may be an unsettling time and want to thank people for their patience while we work to remedy the issue," he said.

Ruth Wright, 81, who also lives in the three-storey block, said: "No-one has spoken to us, we've just received a letter, but everyone should be visited and told about it."

Like Mrs Scrivener, she worries about how she might get out of the building if it catches fire at night.

"I'm very disturbed about it and I can't get it off my mind - we are in danger," she said.