Council faces £21m bill to replace fire doors

More than a thousands front doors in a London borough designed to protect residents from fire could be faulty after failing safety tests.

 

Hackney Council commissioned fire resistance testing on its door stock back in April, similar to the testing which revealed that Grenfell Tower’s doors failed under test conditions after just 15

minutes.

 

The so-called FD30S door is meant to keep smoke and flames at bay for at least 30 minutes. After the tests, the council has revealed that 16,000 doors are to be replaced in a process which will take three years and cost more than £21 million.

 

All of Hackney council’s different types of FD30S front door currently in use failed fire resistance tests apart from one.

 

The discovery means that thousands of homes across London might not have the required level of fire protection.

 

Council officials are working urgently to replace the composite doors, as well as older doors that were installed before new regulations requiring the FD30S protection — around seven per cent of council stock.

 

Kim Wright, the council’s director of neighbourhoods and housing, said: “We have been working very closely with the London Fire Brigade on this issue. Their advice is that residents are at no

immediate risk and the current doors provide protection and valuable escape time in the event of a fire.”

 

It is understood the manufacturers claimed the doors had passed their own fire safety tests. 

 

However, the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government said the two door types which “conclusively” failed Hackney’s tests, also failed the Government’s own tests — and have now been removed from the market.

 

It has also ordered National Trading Standards to “oversee local investigations which are taking place”.