Premier Inn 'extremely worried' about cladding in two London hotels after Grenfell Tower blaze

Hotel giant Premier Inn has said it is “extremely concerned” about cladding used on two if its London hotels in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

The hotel chain said cladding on three of its newer hotels, including two in Brentford and Tottenham, may not meet Government fire regulations, even though it is not the same type used on Grenfell Tower.

The three hotels have been investigated during a "detailed assessment" of hotels amid growing fears over the safety of tower blocks across the UK.

Non-fire resistant cladding is believed to have contributed to the inferno at Grenfell Tower on Wednesday, June 14, in which at least 79 people are believed to have been killed.

Downing Street revealed on Monday that 600 high-rise tower blocks in the UK could have similarly dangerous cladding, though only three were identified as "combustible".

The Department for Communities and Local Government has told all councils to move residents out of tower blocks if they are deemed by residents to be unsafe.

Concerns were raised about Premier Inn’s two hotels Tottenham Hale and Brentford during a BBC Newsnight investigation on Thursday.

A spokesman for Premier Inn said the company had called in a fire safety expert to review the safety of its buildings, who declared them safe despite possibly not adhering to Government guidelines.

The chain said “robust” safety measures were in place, including fire detectors and smoke alarms in every room at the hotels.

He told BBC’s Newsnight: "We were extremely concerned to learn that they had used a cladding that does not appear to comply with recognised government guidance on compliance with the Building Regulations for use in high rise buildings and are seeking to address this with the developers."

A spokesman added: “The safety and security of our guests and team members is always our number one priority.

"Although we have concerns that the fire retardant cladding used may not adhere to recognised government guidance on compliance with the building regulations for use in high rise buildings, an independent fire expert has assured us that these hotels are safe and that they are entirely satisfied that there are robust fire safety measures and evacuation procedures in place to protect our guests and team members."

Camden council has said it had identified five towers in the Chalcots Estate which will have to have cladding removed.

Hundreds of people may have to be evacuated from tower blocks across the country, in what could be one of Britain’s largest peacetime evacuations.