A LAST-ditch attempt to squash rules banning carpets from halls and stairways in all council blocks of flats has failed.

People living in all council-owned buildings will have to rip carpets from the floors of communal areas after Epping Forest District Council decided not to change its policy last night (Thursday).

A group of five councillors asked for people living in two-storey blocks of flats to be allowed to fit carpets meeting safety standards, but their call was rejected by the council’s housing committee, which insisted carpets posed a fire hazard.

Barry Johnston, 64, of Torrington Drive, Debden, is a former fire fighter who has been pushing for carpets to be allowed.

“The problem is no-one will see it as it really is. They’re just hiding behind the rules.

“I was at one of the busiest fire stations in London when I was in the fire brigade, in Stoke Newington. Carpets were never an issue.

“I attended fatal fires that were caused by TVs and fridge freezers, so what’s the council going to do about them?”

He has installed carpet in the hallway outside his flat, which he has been given two months to remove.

Jennie Figgins, 62, another Torrington Drive resident, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous.

“We’ve got carpets at the moment. It’s all stone and iron on the staircase and I’d describe it as Cell Block H without.

“The bare floors are really slippery as well, when they get wet.

“I could understand if we were a big communal block, but I just find it ludicrous.”

The council’s cabinet said in a report that it had a responsibility to undertake fire risk assessments at all blocks of flats.

“Through the advice, previously provided informally, from the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service the council adopted a policy that prevented residents from storing their belongings in the common parts,” it added.

“These formed the means of escape in the event of a fire.

“This included carpets, as they could contribute towards a fire.”

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