They cost millions to install and promised sheltered housing tenants the very latest in high-tech, state-of-the-art design.

Now it turns out the supposedly ‘self-cleaning’ windows fitted to many of Salford’s high rises have got grubby after all - and four years on, elderly residents have suddenly been hit with a cleaning bill.

But some ‘gobsmacked’ tenants, whose blocks are already being disrupted by work to strip unsafe cladding in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, are simply refusing to pay.

Housing association City West installed ‘the world’s first self-cleaning windows’ on a string of blocks across Eccles as part of a £235m refurbishment programme of its former council stock.

Tenants say that, at the time, they were not told they would ever need washing.

But in a letter to residents the trust now says ‘feedback from high rise customers’ about ‘cleanliness of windows’ has prompted them to hire a window cleaning contractor after all.

(Image: Dominic Salter)

And because the windows cannot be fully flipped round from inside, unlike the previous ones, there is no option but to send in cleaners using ‘abseil’ equipment, it adds, increasing the cost.

As a result the trust is ‘pleased to advise’ residents of its new twice-yearly cleaning service, for which they will have to pay an extra £78 - £67.60 of which is a new ‘service charge’ and £10.40 of which is a new ‘management fee’.

After some tenants responded with anger, a second letter arrived a fortnight ago.

This offered a second option: one clean a year for £50.

In a paragraph at the end, the letter concludes: “Whilst it is called ‘self cleaning’ and effective at breaking down organic deposits it does still require cleaning from time to time.”

Neither letter gives tenants any option but to pay a new charge.

Like many of her neighbours, Jean Webb, who lives on the 11th floor of Kemball House in Eccles, has simply refused.

Her service charge has already nearly quadrupled in less than ten years, she points out, so she does not see why she should also have to foot the bill for City West’s mistake.

“The first letter we got was on March 9 and it just says that following feedback they had procured someone to clean the windows,” she said.

“There’d been no discussion, no asking us if we wanted to do this.

(Image: Dominic Salter)

“At the bottom of the letter it says ‘if you want to contact us do not hesitate to contact us’. But it doesn’t provide a name or any way to get hold of them.

“Then the second letter came, asking if we wanted them cleaned once or twice a year. I wrote back and said I didn’t want either, and that I refuse to pay for self-cleaning windows to be cleaned. It’s a design fault on their part.

“So I’ve written that and posted it off.”

Kemball House, like a number of other City West blocks, is already having its cladding stripped due to safety failures identified in the wake of the Grenfell disaster.

As a result, residents say the dust and dirt from the building work is adding to the grime on the self-cleaning windows, as well as traffic fumes from the neighbouring M602.

Jean says her rent has nearly doubled from £59 when she moved in in 2009 to £106 today, while her service charge has almost quadrupled from £118 a year to £443 - although some of that is covered by her housing benefit.

But she says in that time the level of service provided to her and her fellow tenants, including access to emergency social care support, has in fact decreased.

The window cleaning charges were therefore the final straw.

“I was just gobsmacked,” she added. “It’s like they want to make as much money as possible out of us.”

The M.E.N. asked City West, which is part of the Forviva Group, a series of questions about the cost of cleaning the self-cleaning windows, including how much it expects to raise from the charges - which would hit more than 100 tenants in Kemball House alone - and how much the chosen window cleaning contractor, CGC, is to be paid.

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

We also asked how much the self-cleaning windows cost to install as part of its wider multi-million pound renovation works, a figure it does not break down in its accounts.

City West did not answer any of our questions, however.

In a statement Matt Jones, managing director of City West Housing Trust, said: “The windows installed in our high-rise blocks were chosen as they require significantly less cleaning than normal windows and would therefore incur less cost.

“Following tenant feedback we have sent details of two options for having the windows cleaned and have sourced the most competitive price possible. The cost of the window cleaning is also eligible and covered by housing benefit for those on the lowest incomes.

"The decision to have the windows cleaned on this occasion was taken after it was requested by tenants. We are working closely with them on next steps and welcome their views. As in any situation where tenants have concerns about payments we are very open to discussing their options with them.”

Local councillor Peter Wheeler said he was intending to meet with City West bosses next week.

“We are very concerned about the effect of these proposed increases and we are looking to sit down and talk with City West to see what can be done to alleviate this,” he said.