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The owners of the Walkie Talkie skyscraper in the City plan to fix “sun-shades” to the outside of the building to prevent a repeat of last September’s “death ray” that melted parts of a car and blistered paintwork.

Developers Land Securities and Canary Wharf Group said they have applied for permission to install a “brise soleil” system between floors three and 34 of the 509 ft high building.

Installing the aluminium fins will cost in the “single digit millions” of pounds and take about six months to install, they said.

The beam caused by the curved skyscraper concentrating the sun’s rays was measured at more than 110 degrees C in September, hot enough to fry an egg on the pavement.