ACM cladding, or Aluminium Composite Material cladding, is made from polyethylene, and placed between two thin aluminium sheets. It’s a highly flammable product installed on either side of Grenfell Tower.
We found out which local authorities had the most buildings with ACM cladding systems and which were slow to get them removed.
In total, there are five local authorities with more than 20 buildings identified with ACM cladding systems, which were unlikely to meet building regulations. These five local authorities are Salford, Tower Hamlets, Manchester, Greenwich, and Newham. The most at risk of these five local authorities are Salford and Tower Hamlets, as 11-20 of these buildings are yet to be remediated.
Greenwich and Newham are the local authorities which have taken the most action against their buildings with ACM cladding systems, with just 1-5 buildings yet to be remediated.
1. Cleveland – 1,848.5 fires per 100,000 people
Cleveland, in Yorkshire, called upon the services of their fire and rescue team more than any other area of the UK, experiencing 1,848.5 fires per 100,000 people. There were a total of 10,532 fires in Cleveland, which is the 20th highest in the UK. Cleveland Fire Brigade serve Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees and operates from 14 stations.
2. Tyne and Wear – 1,634.6 fires per 100,000 people
In second place is Tyne and Wear, with 1,634.6 fires per 100,000 people. There were 18,743 incidents that required the services of Tyne and Wear’s fire brigade – the eighth-highest total in the UK. Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service operates in Newcastle upon Tyne, Gateshead, Sunderland, North Tyneside, and South Tyneside.
3. Humberside – 1,506 fires per 100,000 people
Humberside completes our top three, with 1,506 fires per 100,000 people. Operating from 31 fire stations, Humberside Fire and Rescue Service serves the East Riding of Yorkshire, Hull, North Lincolnshire, and North East Lincolnshire. There were a total of 14,073 fires in Humberside, which was the 14th highest total in the UK.
1. Private Non-Residential Buildings – 3,587 fires
Private non-residential buildings, with just over 3,500 fires, are the building type with the most fires. This type covers several buildings, including private greenhouses, garages, summer houses, and garden sheds.
2. Industrial Premises – 1,749 fires
Industrial premises are the type of building that had the second-highest number of fires, with 1,749. Industrial premises include manufacturing buildings, quarries, and research facilities, often used by larger businesses.
3. Other Public Buildings – 1,100 fires
Our top three is completed by other public buildings, with 1,100 fires in total. Other public buildings cover a variety of building types, including places of worship, sports facilities, public toilets, and car parks.
Methodology
We used Government data from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for the ACM remediation progress by local authority.
We then used Government data for the incidents attended by fire and rescue services in England, by incident type and rescue authority. We then normalised these figures against the rescue authority population. Isles of Scilly was removed from this data.
Finally, we used Arinite for the types of buildings most likely to catch on fire.
