FIRE extinguishers are being banned from blocks of flats – after they were branded a health and safety RISK.
The canisters could be dangerous if people use them without training, risk assessors said. And they could encourage people to stay and tackle a blaze rather than flee.
The Fire Service is backing the ban...
But Mike Edwards, 61 – who lives in a ten-storey block where extinguishers are to be banned – branded the decision “ludicrous”. He said: “I was absolutely staggered – Britain has gone mad. How can removing extinguishers be safe?
The retired printer...said people at a nearby block were “worried sick” about fires after their extinguishers were taken away.
He added: “The Fire Service can’t quickly get their equipment above the eighth floor – so if someone is trapped they are now just expected to sit and burn.”
The ruling comes months after Bournemouth Council stopped lending armbands at its swimming pools over health and safety fears.
