A HOSPITAL, six high-rise residential buildings, and three hotels in Berkshire still have Grenfell-style cladding, according to the fire service.

The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) has inspected 157 high-rises, and found 10 buildings with aluminium composite material (ACM) cladding.

The dangerous cladding means the buildings are unlikely to meet regulations, which are designed to keep people safe. The cladding has been blamed for the rapid spread of the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people.

A Premier Inn hotel in Maidenhead, on Kidwells Park Drive, still has the ACM cladding, a recent response to a freedom of information request revealed. 

Nova House, a block of 68 apartments in Slough town centre, also has the dangerous cladding. As of January 2019, a programme on removing the cladding and making the building safe was yet to be agreed on. Once the works start, they could likely take two years to finish.

The other eight buildings are in Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

A spokeswoman for the department refused to say exactly where the buildings are as "it is not the government’s policy to publish information on the ownership or location of individual buildings as a matter of public safety”.

Across England, there are still 354 high-rise buildings with the dangerous cladding, including 117 social housing blocks, 34 student accommodation buildings, 31 hotels, eight hospital buildings and one school.

The MHCLG spokeswoman said residents of those buildings have been made aware of the cladding. But she did not respond when asked if hotel guests and hospital patients were also made aware they were staying in at-risk buildings.

A spokeswoman for the fire service said: “Immediately after the Grenfell Tower tragedy, RBFRS proactively supported £600,000 of additional funding to ensure the safety of buildings across Berkshire, with an initial focus on ACM and high-rise buildings.

“Our fire safety teams continue to work with the building owners and responsible persons alongside our partners in local authority housing teams and building control bodies through the transition phase of removing the cladding.

“RBFRS would like to reassure the residents of Berkshire that we have the appropriate professional resources in place to advise, support and implement our statutory duties. If any residents or building owners are concerned, please contact us.”

A spokeswoman for Premier Inn said their hotels are entirely safe and they have not been asked to change the cladding. However, they have taken a 'voluntary decision' to change the cladding anyway.

She said: "Given the unprecedented context, including the time that is needed to test for appropriate replacements, the shortage of cladding nationally, and long-lead times to order, this is a complicated issue, but we are committed to ensuring that the cladding is being replaced as fast as possible."

This article was edited at 2pm on March 21 to include a comment from a spokeswoman for Premier Inn.