No council-owned tower blocks in Redbridge are currently fitted with sprinklers, it has been confirmed.

After the horrific fire at Grenfell Tower in west London last week, people living in high-rise buildings have been desperately seeking assurances on their own safety.

At a council meeting last night (June 22) Redbridge leader Cllr Jas Athwal said none of the borough’s 18 tower blocks have sprinkler systems in place – but they will be considered “in the coming months”.

He said: “We will look at sprinkler systems and centralised fire alarms, but they will need to be looked at in a cabinet report.

“But everything that needs to be done will be done.”

In the long term Cllr Athwal said new buildings will be fitted with better fire safety systems, including sprinklers.

He was quick to assure residents Redbridge was one of the first local authorities in the country to carry out checks in wake of the disaster on June 14, which is now believed to have claimed 79 lives.

The speed at which the blaze spread is believed to be down to the block’s cladding – which Cllr Athwal says has not been used on any Redbridge-owned high-rises.

Eleven blocks across the country, including one in Camden, have been found to have combustible cladding this week.

Cllr Athwal added: “Some cladding has been sent for testing, but none from that company has been used on any of our blocks.”

Anyone living in a tower block of five storeys or more will be sent a letter giving safety assurances and reminding them where their nearest fire exits are.

On the Orchard Estate in Woodford Green, which suffered a 10th floor fire in 2013, the council are planning a “resident engagement session”.

East London and West Essex Guardian Series:

A fire broke out in one of the Orchard Estate's blocks in August 2013 because of a discarded cigarette butt

Conservative leader Cllr Paul Canal said the “tragedy of people burning to death in their own homes is beyond words”.

He thanked Redbridge’s cabinet member for housing Cllr Farah Hussain for her quick local reaction to the fire and suggested creating a cross-party working group on fire safety.

Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Ian Bond condemned Kensington and Chelsea Council’s “inadequate” response to Grenfell.

He also asked the Labour administration to determine whether people should stay in their homes in the event of a fire, after questions were raised about instructions given to Grenfell residents.

Cllr Athwal added: “The brief our officers will get when it comes to tower block fire safety is asking them to imagine if their family lived on the 11th floor, how they would like to be kept safe.”