Data shows city's rate of 'hazardous' homes

NEWCASTLE could have more serious safety hazards in its council housing than anywhere else in England, figures suggest.

- By DANIEL HOLLAND Local democracy reporter

According to data published by the Government, Newcastle City Council has reported 3,495 of its homes as potentially containing defects that fall under the most serious category one hazards defined by the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).

That number, which comes after the local authority identified that more than 3,000 council homes in the city could contain dangerous staircases, appears far greater than anywhere else in the country.

However, the city council said that the actual number of hazards should reduce once full physical inspections have been completed and that the current figures reflected a likely "overreporting" of the issue that was done as a precaution.

The specific problem found relates to 'ranch style' bannisters, staircases with horizontal guarding that is now forbidden under modern buildings safety standards due to fears that children could climb up the panels and either fall or become trapped.

Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) shows that the current reported number of category one hazards in Newcastle represents around a third of the total 10,210 in England.