Grenfell-type cladding at 19 tower blocks in Glasgow

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Glasgow cityscapeImage source, Getty Images
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Glasgow City Council has not named the buildings found with combustible cladding

Residents of 19 tower blocks in Glasgow are being given letters confirming their building contains cladding similar to that used on Grenfell Tower.

Last week Glasgow City Council revealed that combustible cladding had been found on 57 private high rise buildings.

It said further investigations had reduced that total to 19.

People living in the flats were being given hand-delivered letters informing them of the situation.

The local authority confirmed the letters were being delivered on Friday but it would not say which buildings were affected.

Last week, Glasgow City Council told a Holyrood committee it told government ministers about the buildings, but not residents or the fire service.

Council leader Susan Aitken has apologised for any alarm caused.

MSPs on the Scottish Parliament local government committee had heard from a senior council official that a search in the aftermath of the Grenfell fire tragedy in London had found combustible cladding on some private flats - but the council had not gone public and informed the owners of the buildings.

Raymond Barlow, the assistant head of planning and building standards at Glasgow City Council, said at the time the authority had been waiting to hear from the Scottish government on the issue.

Reasonably confident

But Housing Minister Kevin Stewart strongly criticised the council for initially refusing an offer of government help.

"It took the intervention of the council leader to get building standards officers in Glasgow to accept that help," he said. "That, to me, is unacceptable."

Since the revelation at Holyrood, officials from the council and the Scottish government have been sifting through records of private properties to find where and to what extent the type of cladding has been used.

Ms Aitken said she was reasonably confident that the council would be able to reassure the vast majority - if not all - residents.

"There is not a Grenfell waiting to happen in Glasgow," she said. "There has been no indication that is the case."

Are you one of the residents affected? Have you received a letter? If so, please contact newsonlinescotland@bbc.co.uk to tell us your story.

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