Premier Inn says it is 'extremely concerned' about cladding on three of its hotels

Premier Inn has said it is "extremely concerned" about cladding on three of its hotels in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire.

The hotel chain said three of its hotels "do not appear" to meet the required fire safety standards.

This includes a hotel in Prime Minister Theresa May's Maidenhead constituency.

Cladding is believed to have contributed to the unusually rapid spread of fire at Grenfell Tower in North Kensington, in which at least 79 people died.

An estimated 600 high-rise blocks have been covered in cladding in England alone, all of which are now undergoing urgent tests to see if the panels contain the flammable material that made Grenfell a deathtrap.

Three of the buildings that failed the tests were refurbished by the same firm that fitted cladding to Grenfell, using the same highly flammable material.

Councils have been told in a letter from Department for Communities and Local Government to “move all residents out of the block” if buildings are deemed by fire brigades to be unsafe.

It could lead to the first mass evacuation since the Second World War, with local authorities already scrambling to find hotel rooms and other temporary accommodation should it be needed.

So far safety fears over cladding have centred on council high rises but safety concerns are now spreading beyond the housing sector.

Premier Inn said external aluminium composite cladding on its hotels in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham did not appear to comply with government guidance for tall buildings. 

The company added that the cladding on its buildings appeared to be a less flammable product than that thought to have been used at Grenfell Tower.

The hotel chain said developers were responsible for the construction of the buildings.

In a statement, Premier in told the BBC's Newsnight programme: "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."

However the company said an independent expert has assured them the buildings are safe to continue using because of their "robust" safety measures, such as fire detectors and smoke alarms in every room.

Meanwhile every tower block in Birmingham is to be fitted with a sprinkler system regardless of whether the Government will pay, the city council said.

The council's leader  John Clancy said all 213 blocks in its local authority area were being assessed to see exactly what other fire safety work needs to be undertaken.