In response to BBC Radio 4's World Tonight story on the Brigade's 'involvement' in the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, we have issued the following statement.
A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said:
“Whilst we have yet to see the documents that are being referred to, the BBC's story is potentially misleading.
“The Brigade does not have any legal powers to inspect cladding or structural changes to buildings. We do not ‘sign off’ refurbishment and we only have legal powers to act where we see internal fire safety problems such as compromised fire doors and combustible materials on staircases. While firefighters regularly visit local buildings to familiarise themselves with the layout and the firefighting equipment such as hydrants, this is not the same as making a detailed inspection of a building refurbishment especially when many of the changes would sit outside of our powers.
“We are unable to confirm exactly what contact we had with the TMO regarding the tower because this is now subject to a public inquiry.”