Lawyers at the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower Disaster accused the local council of not treating residents fairly when they warned of the disaster
ADVERTISEMENTBuilding firms, overseen by the local council, turned Grenfell tower in London into a “death trap” according to lawyers giving evidence at the inquiry into last year’s disaster.
The local authority, Kensington and Chelsea, was heavily criticised. It was accused of “fobbing off” residents and not treating them equally when they warned that a disaster might happen.
The tower block was refurbished between 2014 and 2016 and contractors, under the guidance of the council, have been blamed for fitting cladding which posed a fire risk and failed to meet safety requirements.
Rydon, the main contractor, did not say whether its refurbishment had breached regulations and questioned some of the expert evidence so far given.
72 people died in the fire in West London on June 14 last year. The inquiry is at the start of a fact-finding stage.
Lawyers representing the families of victims said that, of the six commonly known layers of protection against fire, five of them had failed.
The public inquiry into the disaster began last September and is expected to last several more months.