No sprinklers in 300 Scottish tower blocks

Thousands of homes in tower blocks across Scotland do not have potentially life-saving sprinkler systems, a BBC Scotland investigation has found.

There are no sprinklers in flats in more than 300 high-rise buildings in towns and cities across the country, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.

Every high rise built in Scotland since 2005 must have sprinklers, by law.

But there is no obligation on councils or social landlords to fit the systems in older tower blocks.

There were no sprinkler systems in Grenfell Tower in Kensington, west London, when it was engulfed by a devastating fire last month that killed at least 80 people.

It has led to renewed calls from firefighters and politicians to retrofit the devices in high-rise buildings.

And the Scottish government has pledged to review the evidence about the effectiveness of the systems.

An independent report published earlier this year found that sprinklers were 99% effective at controlling or extinguishing fires.

Source: No sprinklers in 300 Scottish tower blocks – BBC News