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A Teesside block of flats HAS been covered with combustible cladding, a housing company has confirmed.

Thirteen Group say that following further, in-depth inspections, Kennedy Gardens in Billingham has been found to be partially clad with “grade three cladding”, which is combustible.

The group’s safety officials have tested all 20 of its Teesside tower blocks after the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London, which has claimed 79 lives with many more missing and feared dead.

Thirteen had told The Gazette on Thursday that none of its buildings had combustible cladding fitted, and insisted that none of the materials found on Grenfell could be found on Teesside.

But after further checks, the company will now inform residents at Kennedy Gardens in person, with staff on hand “to provide reassurance and give practical advice on minimising fire risks”.

There will be no urgent evacuations, a spokesman said, on the day it was revealed that 800 households in North London would be immediately moved out of a tower block found to contain flammable materials.

Immediate action to remove the cladding has been taken and contractors will be on site from Monday morning.

Thirteen Group Chief Executive Ian Wardle said: “We acted immediately to ensure the safety of our residents by checking and double checking the nature of the cladding on our buildings, where it exists.

“We had specified that the cladding should be fire retardant and following tests that have shown that this is not the case, work to remove the cladding will begin as soon as physically possible, and contractors will be on site from first thing Monday morning.

“Our team is now contacting residents of the building to make them aware and provide any practical assistance they might need.”

Kennedy Gardens is close to Billingham town centre and has around 340 residents, across three buildings, and is made up of one, two and three bedroom flats.

(Image: unknown)

It was given a £10m revamp in 2014, in which new cladding to the outside of the building was fitted.

Keith Dewison, a resident at Kennedy Gardens for more than 20 years, believes that tenants should be on the board of directors of social housing groups to be able to “take part in the decision making process which effect their lives”.

The former Lib Dem councillor on Stockton Council said: “It’s a shock to hear that the cladding is flammable, especially as there was a statement earlier in the week to say that tests had shown it wasn’t.

“It has caused people who live here great concern, but I’m pleased that they’ll now be dealing with the issue.”

Thirteen has already confirmed it was looking at installing misting or sprinkler systems - which were not in place at Grenfell, in Kensington, West London.

“We are also continuing with our planned maintenance programme, as well as periodic fire system checks and daily concierge checks for any obstructions,” a spokesperson continued earlier this week.