Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service (RBFRS) confirmed it had been notified of “defects in the external wall” at Chatham House and Carruthers Court.

The concerns emerged after a discovery during an inspection at Chatham House. Following this, RBFRS informed Common Ground, the management company for Carruthers Court, that testing on its building may also be required.

Common Ground commissioned its own survey on 24 April. Although the report has not yet been officially completed, the company said it was advised the building was almost certain to fail.

Five days later, Common Ground shared this information with RBFRS, which initially advised that the building should be shut down. After discussions with Newbury Racecourse, a waking watch was introduced the same day, allowing Carruthers Court to remain occupied.

A waking watch involves specialist trained staff continuously patrolling both inside and outside a building to monitor fire risks.

RBFRS said in a statement: “The service is engaging with the responsible persons for both buildings and appropriate fire safety measures are in place.

“RBFRS’s number one priority is the safety of residents, and the service will continue to proactively engage with responsible persons to ensure that they meet their statutory obligations.”

The fire service also confirmed it is working with those responsible for nearby Bregawn House, which neighbours Carruthers Court and Chatham House and was built at the same time, to investigate the external wall construction of that building as well.

Alan Draper, managing director of Common Ground, said: “There’s nothing to say that the building is in any immediate danger but whilst we await the outcome of the report the fire brigade obviously have concerns about this which is why, presumably, they acted to try and shut the building but obviously, with the waking watch in place, residents are perfectly safe and they’re able to continue living in their building.”

Newbury Racecourse, which is the freeholder of the buildings, said “the safety of residents is the primary concern” and confirmed it had “acted in accordance with the Building Safety Act and various fire safety regulations and will continue to do so to ensure that the buildings are safe”.

The racecourse added: “The priority is of course to ensure that any relevant defects that may be established are remediated and the costs of any such works are recovered from the entities responsible for the relevant defects, and both Newbury Racecourse and the management companies are in communication with such entities regarding the costs of any remediation works that may be necessary.”

Barratt Redrow, which constructed the buildings, said: “Barratt Redrow is committed to ensuring all necessary and relevant issues identified in the original construction are remediated with no costs being passed on to leaseholders.”

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