FLATS in Pendennis Road were labelled a 'Category One' fire hazard by the authorities who considered removing tenants and declaring them unsafe, letters have revealed.

Correspondence seen by the Herald Express under the Freedom of Information Act reveals how Torbay Council issued an ultimatum to Riviera Housing Trust in 2007 to improve safety standards as a matter of urgency.

The letters warn of a 'high degree of risk' for tenants to be harmed in a fire and the issuing of a 'Category One Hazard' in relation to fire safety.

The senior environmental health officer at the council warned Riviera he would 'prohibit their occupation' unless work was carried out immediately.

The fire improvement work was then carried out and the flats declared safe a few months later — but the warnings were not made public.

Torbay MP Adrian Sanders said residents had a 'right to know' about the dangers and said the information should have been freely available without the need for an FOI request.

The information was obtained after Torbay Council insisted in December it would only give out the information in response to an official request.

The Herald Express had already had to put in a FOI request for an improvement notice issued by Torbay Council in May 2007 for flats at 103-113 Pendennis Road, Hele, which contained a 10-point action plan to be carried out to improve fire precautions.

The two earlier letters now published were both sent by Bob Earney, senior environmental health officer for housing standards, and addressed to the Riviera Housing Trust.

In a letter dated March 16, 2007, Mr Earney said he had visited several blocks of flats in Pendennis Road at the request of Devon Fire and Rescue Service to investigate 'inadequate fire precautions in the common areas of the flats'.

He wrote: "We are both equally concerned that, if urgent measures are not taken serious injury could result.

"An assessment of the level of risk from fire has been undertaken and I have found that there is a very high scoring Category One Hazard in respect to 'FIRE'.

"There may be at least one of the blocks of flats where the council would have to consider prohibiting their occupation until such time as they were made safe."

A second letter dated April 12, 2007 singles out flats 103-113 Pendennis Road.

Mr Earney says the 'problems with 103-113 are serious and require urgent attention'.

The council's housing standards department issued Riviera Housing Trust with the improvement notice soon after the letters were sent in May 2007.

When the Herald Express asked Torbay Council whether any blocks of flats are still at risk the council said: "RHT's stock investment programme has addressed the highest risk properties which were Pendennis flats, although RHT is working through an improvement programme to modernise all their stock, which is due to be completed in 2010."

Molly Holmes, managing director, Riviera Housing Trust, said: "We can confirm that the required works detailed in the official notice were completed by Riviera by August 16, 2007. These works included installing new fire resistant doors, emergency lighting, improved security of the front entrance door, and the provision of independent smoke detection systems.

"Since that time, we have carried out further works to homes on this estate as part of our major home improvements programme and we fully took on board all the fire officers' recommendations."

Mr Sanders, who is campaigning in the House of Commons for the fitting of fire alarms to be compulsory in social housing, said: "It begs the question of whether Riviera informed the tenants and offered them the opportunity to move to alternative accommodation until the work was done.

"I believe the tenants had a right to know about the dangers."

Mr Sanders said he could not understand why Torbay Council would not respond to the questions without an FOI request.

"I cannot see any reason why they should have kept this 'secret'. I do not understand it."

In December Torbay Council chief executive Elizabeth Raikes said an FOI was needed due to the large amount of inquiries the council receives in order to give a considered and accurate response.