Grenfell inquiry: fire chief warned council leader of ‘serious risk’ to residents

London fire chief told Kensington and Chelsea leader works could compromise safety but warning was not passed on to right people

The London fire brigade warned the leader of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that refurbishments could compromise fire safety and cause deaths, but he did not pass it on to housing officials in charge of works at Grenfell Tower.

The deputy commissioner of the London fire brigade, Rita Dexter, told Nicholas Paget-Brown, then council leader, in 2015 of a serious risk to the safety of residents" caused by refurbishment and urged the council to devise a strategy for assessing that risk and taking appropriate remedial action", the inquiry into the disaster heard on Wednesday.