SAFETY checks are carried out daily on Dudley's tower blocks - a senior councillor has said following publication of the authority's report on its high rise flats in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Councillor Les Jones said he was "relieved" to find out none of Dudley borough's 25 high rise blocks had been covered in aluminium composite material style cladding like that fitted to the Grenfell Tower block which is considered likely to have been a contributory factor in the severity of the fire and speed at which it spread.

But he stressed there was "no complacency" in keeping high rise homes safe and he added: "You never take it for granted that something can't go wrong. We go in daily into the tower blocks to do safety checks.

"Since Grenfell we've been reviewing the safety of all the buildings. We'll do whatever is necessary to make sure people are safe."

One of the suggestions for keeping tower blocks safe is the retro fitting of sprinkler systems but a report by Dudley's strategic director of place Alan Lunt following a post-Grenfell review of Dudley's high rise accommodation says "there is no agreement that sprinklers and/or fire alarm systems would necessarily have prevented the Grenfell fire in the first place and/or significantly mitigated the severity of the incident".

But it said there was now "significant pressure on landlords to consider their installation" although it stressed this has not, at this stage, become a mandatory requirement.

The report estimates it would cost £4 to 8million to retro fit alarms and sprinklers in all of the borough's high rise flats.

But it is not yet known whether the government will impose further requirements for high rise accommodation following the investigation into Grenfell Tower.

Cllr Jones said fire chiefs have mixed views on the benefits of sprinklers in tower blocks. He told the News: "Even the fire service can't come up with a common position. One school of thought is that sprinklers would make it safer."

But he said others in the fire service believe having water rushing at them down the main stairwell poses its own problems and he added: "We're really going to have to wait for the government to give us advice on that. If it doesn't make it safer - it's a massive investment."

He said the borough's high rise blocks - the earliest of which dates back to 1962 - were "moving towards the end of their useful lives" anyway, with four (Arley, Compton, Wells and Manor Courts) currently listed for demolition which will leave around 1,200 flats across 21 blocks.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said the authority would ultimately like to get rid of all high rise blocks as "they're a relic from the 1960s" and he said: "The idea of having 80-year-olds stuck on the top floor is not nice and having retired people in one part of the block and young people in another is not appropriate. We'd like to have some better, more decently designed homes."

In the meantime, the report - which was presented to the council's cabinet on September 13 - said an update would be presented to the authority when the Grenfell Tower investigation is completed and when the implications for Dudley Council become clear.