The contractor responsible for fire alarms at Grenfell Tower is being investigated by fraud squad police after accusations that it installed defective safety equipment in hundreds of London properties, the Standard revealed yesterday.
Housing services company Lakehouse is at the centre of a fraud inquiry following a three-year investigation by police and Hackney council. It relates to a £184mn government grant to renovate council properties and install fire and smoke alarms and emergency lighting.
The company was identified by the Standard last week as the contractor responsible for testing and maintaining the fire alarms at Grenfell Tower, in North Kensington. Some survivors said these failed to go off in the blaze last month.
Ten people have been arrested after Hackney council received allegations of “fraud and overcharging” from whistleblowers. Further investigation revealed that some of the fire safety work was “defective, including incorrectly installed alarms and emergency lighting systems”.
Lakehouse denies any wrongdoing.
The council has now written to 166 town hall chief executives warning them to check work done by Lakehouse and subcontractor Polyteck in case more homes could be at risk. The letter says council bosses “immediately notified the police” after discovering the work was sub-standard. It says: “At all times, throughout this, our focus has been on the safety of our residents. We have no evidence to suggest that work carried out on contracts to other councils, by Lakehouse, or its subcontractor Polyteck, was in any way at fault, so do not wish to cause undue alarm.
“However, we believe that as social landlords, after the Grenfell Tower tragedy we must share any information with each other that could potentially help to keep our residents safer.”