CLADDING has been replaced at a tower block which was the scene of a fire last month.

More than 100 calls were made to Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service after a rooftop blaze broke out at Hockmore Tower in Cowley.

Garden furniture had caught alight outside one of the two rooftop flats, with firefighters quickly extinguishing the blaze.

The cladding on Hockmore Tower was identified as unsafe in 2019 after Government guidance was updated in the wake of the Grenfell catastrophe in London, in 2017.

READ AGAIN: Council confirms dangerous cladding was removed from tower block prior to fire

The rain screen cladding is now made up of non-combustible mineral wool with a screen to protect the insulation from the elements.

Linda Smith, Oxford City Council’s cabinet member for housing, said: “With completion of the work to replace potentially unsafe HPL [high-pressure laminate] panels at Hockmore Tower, all five of our tower blocks now feature only aluminium sheet rain screen – the safest type of rain screen.

“Oxford City Council will not compromise on fire safety in our tower blocks.

“The safety of tenants and leaseholders in their homes will continue to be our absolute top priority as a landlord.”

The council decided to replace the HPL rain screen in 2019, the result of changes to Government guidance after a combination of HPL rain screen and combustible insulation failed a private fire safety test.

Hockmore Tower features a range of fire safety measures, including sprinklers in all flats, an upgraded fire alarm system and fire doors, fire breaks in the cladding, non-combustible insulation beneath the cladding, and two flights of stairs to leave the building.

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This story was written by Liam Rice, he joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Liam covers politics, travel and transport. He occasionally covers Oxford United.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Liam.rice@newsquest.co.uk

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