Tests have confirmed that cladding at a Sutton tower block has failed fire safety testing.

Samples of the cladding at Chaucer House, in Chaucer Gardens, were taken for investigation in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire which killed 79 people.

In a joint letter from Sutton Council, Sutton Housing Partnership and London Fire Brigade, residents were informed that the Building Research Establishment marked the cladding a category two score, meaning it failed.

The fire safety is marked from category one - the best - to category three - the worst. Anything graded at category two or lower is deemed to have failed.

The letter read: "We know this will be upsetting, but we want to reassure you that SHP, the Council and the Fire Brigade have assessed the overall fire safety arrangement in place at both Balaam House and Chaucer House and are satisfied that your homes are safe.

“Your safety is our number one priority and we will continue to work with you and our partners to ensure you are safe. We will continue to follow the advice from the authorities involved and should that advice change, of if we consider there to be any change in risk, we will take all action necessary to ensure your safety.”

A meeting is being held in Chaucer House between 3.30pm and 5.30pm tomorrow.

Rob Bailey, 25, has lived at Chaucer House for five years. He told Sutton Guardian: “Everyone is really anxious, people are scared and we want answers”.

He added that hearing the news of the failed cladding test was “really hard”.

“We have to live there at the end of the day,” he said. “It is always on my mind, especially mums too who fear for their children. I worry about my daughter.”

Rob said that he would feel safer if the cladding was removed.

He said: “They say stay in flat and let it pass and let the fire brigade deal with it but after seeing the Grenfell thing I would get out."

One resident, speaking to Sutton Guardian anonymously, insisted she did feel safe.

She said: “Obviously people are angry. But the cladding failure was expected. As long as they pull it out I don’t see it as a big concern.

“Compared to other blocks we are very safe. We have three fire exits, fire sprinklers and fire doors."

Zoey Seaton, 30, said: “I’ve always felt pretty safe here, even after the Grenfell fire, until I heard this news yesterday. What are we paying our rent and council tax for?”

The six year Chaucer House resident stated that she wanted the whole building re-clad or else for everyone to be re-homed. 

A Sutton Council spokesman said: “There are already a full range of safety measures in place. Chaucer House has a communal fire alarm and a sprinkler in each room of every flat. All flats have hard-wired smoke alarms in each room and a hard-wired heat detector in the kitchen.”

Sutton and Cheam MP Paul Scully said: “Residents will be understandably concerned, so in addition to the action I have already taken, I will be asking further urgent questions of the Council and Sutton Housing Partnership to get residents the peace of mind they need.

“This also goes for Balaam House residents and indeed those residents in all high-rise buildings in Sutton.”

He added: “In the meantime, I would strongly urge all Chaucer House residents to attend the drop-in session on Thursday to get more information. I will continue to update residents directly and online.”

Regarding the cladding on Grenfell Tower, Carshalton and Wallington Tom Brake MP said: “The type of cladding that was used on Grenfell Tower is not only classified as flammable material in Germany but also prohibited in US buildings that exceed 40 feet in height due to fire safety concerns.

“After many lives were lost in the Grenfell Tower fire, the Liberal Democrats have called for this dangerous material to be banned in the UK.”

Mr Brake added: "It is time we made the necessary investment to ensure that tragedies like these do not happen again and to guarantee people’s safety”.