Housing Secretary James Brokenshire has written to private building owners threatening them with financial penalties if they fail to remove dangerous combustible cladding from tower blocks.

Around 60 building owners and developers have received letters telling them that “enforcement action” will be taken if they do not strip unsafe material from their blocks. The firms include Lendlease, Pemberstone, Paddington Development Corporation and GLA Land & Property – a subsidiary of the Greater London Authority. Meanwhile developers such as Barratt, Mace Group, Legal & General and Taylor Wimpey have already agreed to meet the costs of cladding removal works.

Building owners that do not take urgent steps to remediate buildings clad in flammable ACM could be restricted from accessing government schemes, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said.

Mr Brokenshire said: “There is a moral imperative for private sector landlords to do the right thing and remove unsafe cladding quickly, and not leave leaseholders to cover the cost.

“A number of leading developers have stepped up to the mark and agreed to pay for work, and we urge others to follow their lead. If they don’t, we have not ruled anything out. At the last count, 291 private sector residential high rises had been identified as being clad in ACM, which is unlikely to meet building regulations. MHCLG has not been informed of action plans for 121 of these buildings. The Government has promised to “fully fund” the removal and replacement of dangerous ACM cladding in the social housing sector, at an estimated cost of £400m.

By Patrick Mooney, editor