ALL 14 of Redbridge's tower blocks are at a high risk of fire, according to a survey published today.

The BBC submitted a Freedom of Information request to all London councils which discovered that Redbridge was one of only three boroughs across the capital with all its tower blocks classified as high risk.

Many of the blocks are concentrated on the Orchard Estate in Woodford Green, where dozens of residents were evacuated after a fire broke out in a rubbish chute on August 30.

According to London council's fire safety procedures, tower blocks are classified as at high risk because of the "possible occurrence of an extremely harmful event or likely occurrence of a harmful event”.

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said that its tower blocks had an exceptional fire safety record. She added: "Properties are called 'high risk' if they have over six stories simply because they have more people living in them, therefore there is more chance of a fire starting.

"We allocate more money to high blocks for ongoing maintenance and we carry out regular inspections."