A local blogger who highlighted the danger in Grenfell Tower was sent a legal letter by lawyers working for the local council – accusing him of defamation and harassment.

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The letter, which was allegedly sent in 2013, was sent by a solicitor working for Kensington Town Hall.

The local group behind the blog alleged that there had been serious failings on fire safety – and in a chillingly prescient post last year, predicted that a major incident might happen.


‘All our warnings fell on deaf ears and we predicted that a catastrophe like this was inevitable and just matter of time,’ Grenfell Action Group said after the fire broke out last night.



In a blog raising social issues in the area, they criticised Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO) for alleged failings spanning years.

A blog post from November last year (Picture: Grenfell Action Group)

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‘Regular readers of this blog will know that we have posted numerous warnings in recent years about the very poor fire safety standards at Grenfell Tower and elsewhere in the borough,’ they said.

Some of the posts include:

KCTMO playing with fire

More on fire safety

Another fire safety scandal

KCTMO feeling the heat

Why are we waiting

Grenfell Tower from bad to worse

More trouble at Grenfell Tower

In a post dated November 2016, they wrote: ‘It is a truly terrifying thought but the Grenfell Action Group firmly believe that only a catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of our landlord.’

They claimed that ‘only an incident that results in serious loss of life will allow the external scrutiny to occur that will shine a light’ on the failings.

A post from 2013 claiming there was ‘negligence’ from management (Picture: Grenfell Action Group)

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‘It is our conviction that a serious fire in a tower block or similar high density residential property is the most likely reason that those who wield power at the KCTMO will be found out and brought to justice.’

They said there had been a ‘terrifying’ incident in May 2013 where a ‘near catastrophic and highly dangerous power surge destroyed many electrical appliances belonging to Grenfell Tower residents.’

Electrical appliances were catching fire and burning out due to the surge which was due to faulty wiring, they claimed.

They said there was a dangerous power surge in 2013 (Picture: Grenfell Action Group)

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The group claimed access to the building was ‘severely restricted’ for emergency services and other vehicles and that residents were advised to stay in their flats in case of fire.

Some residents complained about the insulation cladding that had been put on the outside of the building during a refurbishment, which they said could help fire to spread.

Their most recent post on fire safety, just three months ago, echoed their previous concerns that there were ‘still no fire safety instructions on display’ in a number of other KCTMO tower blocks.

There have been fatalities, firefighters said (Picture: Rex)

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They added: ‘There is no excuse for failure to post fire safety instructions in all multi-use blocks.

‘The phrase “an accident waiting to happen” springs readily to mind.’

A spokesman for KCTMO said for now there was no comment.

Kensington and Chelsea Council said in a statement: ‘The Council’s major emergency plan was activated earlier this morning in response to the fire at Grenfell Tower. Local Authority Liaison Officers are working directly with emergency services at the scene.



‘An emergency rest centre has been opened for evacuees at the Harrow Centre, Freston Road and an emergency contact number has been set up for anyone concerned for loved ones. Please call the casualty bureau on 0800 0961 233.

‘At present all our focus is on supporting the rescue and relief operation.

‘The cause of the fire will be fully investigated and we will keep people informed and this page will be updated throughout the day.’