A SPRINKLER system that could have extinguished the Grenfell Tower fire before it engulfed the building will be fitted in a Bracknell high rise.

Bracknell Forest Homes (BFH), the town's largest property provider and owner of 6,000 homes, is pushing ahead with plans to install a system in the communal halls and flats of Point Royal, a 17 storey block in Rectory Lane.

Experts have suggested that had £200,000 of sprinklers been installed in Grenfell Tower, the fire that ripped through the Kensington building could have been contained.

BFH wrote to all the residents of its high rise block Point Royal and mid-rise blocks Bay House and Campion House, noting how none of the towers have the same type of cladding systems that caught alight at Grenfell and outlining the additional fire safety measures due to come into effect over the coming months.

“We were shocked and greatly saddened by the serious fire at Grenfell Tower in London on 14 June and offer our sympathy and condolences to everyone who has been affected by this tragic event," the letter read.

"We would also like to pay tribute to the emergency services and many people who have given assistance.

"We had already planned more investment and improvement at Point Royal, which will include a sprinkler system in the communal halls and flats, followed by decoration of the communal halls to latest fire safety standards."

Building consent for the sprinklers has been listed with work to begin in Autumn 2017.

Residents will be contacted over the coming months with details of how the installation will affect them.

Nick Paget-Brown, the Conservative leader of Kensington and Chelsea Council, claimed on June 17 that Grenfell Tower residents did not want sprinklers to be installed due to the prolonged disruption the work would have caused.

BFH carries out weekly fire alarm checks and inspects emergency lighting on a monthly basis.

To find out more about BFH's fire safety and prevention policies, call 01344 382800.