Alex Norris discussed jailing rogue landlords on Sky News (Image: Getty/Sky News)
Rogue landlords who fail to remove dangerous cladding have been warned “we are after them” and could face jail, ministers have warned.
There could be up to 7,000 buildings with unsafe materials which have not yet been identified.
Building safety minister Alex Norris said: “I would want people who own buildings that are watching this, who have not been remediating them, to know we are on them, we are after them, and we want those buildings remediated. And if they don’t, they will feel the force of the law.
“We have a range of powers already, ranging from fines to prison sentences, that can be used in health and safety cases.
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Progress on remediation work on high-rises with known issues has been too slow.
The Remediation Acceleration Plan means that, by the end of 2029, all buildings over 59ft (18m) tall with unsafe cladding that are on a Government scheme will have been remediated.
By then, buildings over 36ft (11m) tall with unsafe cladding will either have been remediated or have a date for completion, with landlords liable for tough penalties if they fail to comply.
Mr Norris acknowledged there are an estimated 4,000-7,000 buildings with flammable cladding which have not yet been identified, more than seven years after the Grenfell Tower disaster which killed 72 people.
Campaigners labelled the Government’s plans as “extremely disappointing” proposals that will “only make a horribly complicated process worse”.
The inquiry into the 2017 Grenfell Tower blaze found that victims, bereaved and survivors were “badly failed”.
The west London tower block was covered in combustible products because of the “systematic dishonesty” of firms that made and sold the cladding and insulation, inquiry chairman Sir Martin Moore-Bick said in September’s report.