Fire union bosses have demanded action over safety at Southampton tower blocks

It comes after a blaze at Southampton flats revealed how a safety issue which contributed to the deaths of two firefighters in another city high-rise remained in many other council buildings.

There was mounting concern about the lack of action last night, with union bosses saying that such blocks were a potential "death trap", putting lives at risk and that it appeared lessons had not been learnt.

But the council hit back saying it has made improvements agreed with fire service bosses.

Jim Shears and Alan Bannon died while tackling a blaze that broke out at Shirley Towers in 2010.

Two years on, an inquest into their deaths led to a series of recommendations after the coroner heard how the men had become trapped in cabling after supports holding it to the wall melted.

PICTURED: Wires on the stairs at Shirley Towers

But, as reported, on Saturday fire crews called to a blaze at Millbank House in Northam told how as they tackled the fire wires again fell down after the fittings holding them to the ceiling melted.

Council housing boss Cllr Warwick Payne said in 2013 metal clips keeping wires overhead in case of a fire were to be installed soon following coroner Keith Wiseman's call for an end to the use of plastic cable supports inside council-owned buildings.

However, council leader Simon Letts has denied that any promise was made to make changes in all city tower blocks, saying it only agreed to make the changes on three. New buildings must now have metal fittings by law.

Conservative opposition group deputy leader Cllr Dan Fitzhenry, who chairs the overview and scrutiny panel, said he had understood improvement had been promised for all tower blocks and would bring it before the committee next month to get some answers as it was a "major concern".

Cllr Letts said the council, in agreement with the fire service, was installing metal cable supports and sprinkler systems in Shirley Towers, Sturminster House and Albion Towers, which presented the most risk because flats were on split levels.

He said he understood fire chiefs were happy there was no “significant risk” to firefighters and work would be completed in April.

He said if there were major repairs on other towers then cable clips would be replaced, but the cost of doing them all was “significant”.

However, Nigel McCullen, chairman of Hampshire Fire Brigades Union, said any tower block where cables could come down presented a significant risk to firefighters and called on council bosses to take action.

“To say the other towers aren’t a problem is wrong," he said. “Potentially they are death traps. This could be a life or death issue.

“If a serious injury or death should occur again and falling cables formed a part of that then quite clearly the deaths [of the firefighters] would have been in vain.”

Cllr Payne did not return the Daily Echo's calls, but in a statement said Millbank House met current safety requirements. He added that he would be reviewing the incident at the weekend.