FAULTY fire alarms, freezing flats and four years of delays and anxiety – residents of Trafford’s tower blocks have taken authorities to task over delays in the removal and replacement of dangerous cladding.

Those living in Pickford, Clifford, Empress, Princess and Grafton Court social housing blocks in Stretford, managed by Trafford Housing Trust, said they had been worried since the Grenfell fire in 2017.

The ACM cladding, the same as that on the Grenfell Tower largely blamed for the death of at least 72 residents there almost four years ago, covered 15pc of the Trafford blocks before it was removed earlier this year.

One resident shared his and others’ anxiety at a Trafford Council scrutiny meeting with representatives of the housing trust present.

Wilf Stevenson lives in Pickford Court and said he was concerned about having to bring his newborn baby daughter home to the tower when she arrived in May 2020, while being aware of the safety issues there.

He said: “For me and a number of other residents it’s been a very difficult time, especially during the pandemic. People have been stuck in these blocks, me in particular in these blocks with the cladding on for the majority of lockdown.

“From my perspective, it seemed like every time we were updated, it was quite scarce the information that we were given.

“But the cladding replacement always seemed to be pushed back and this was prior to anything that happened with Covid. I have reached out to the trust, but I feel like the way that it’s been done, it’s been false horizon after false horizon.”

He added that a faulty fire alarm system in Pickford had resulted in a high number of call-outs that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service  attended in the last 12 months, more than all of the other blocks put together.

Iain Wallis, director of property services at the housing trust, offered Mr Stevenson the chance to join the trust’s High Rise Living Panel to have his voice heard.

He said: “I can hear and pick up the distress in your voice. I think it’s important that as a landlord we recognise the distress that residents have had to go through because of this situation. I think we’d all rather not be in this situation to start with, but we are.”

Concerns were also raised about some residents having the cladding removed from their outer walls leaving them exposed and left with higher heating bills as a result.

Mr Wallis said he was ‘more than happy’ to discuss this issue with the High Rise Living Panel and put together an appropriate compensation package where necessary.