RESIDENTS of six apartment blocks on the banks of the Mersey fear the cost of removing dangerous cladding from the buildings could make them homeless.

Leaseholders at the Decks development in Runcorn are facing bills of £30,000 each to replace the buildings’ cladding after it was deemed to be a fire hazard.

But many will be unable to pay and fear devastating financial consequences as a result, according to local MP Derek Twigg.

Speaking in a debate in Parliament on Wednesday, Mr Twigg told MPs: “Many of my constituents are in negative equity. The 266 homes are unsellable and not rentable.

“Constituents have been advised it will cost them around £30,000 per household to remedy the issue. They do not have that sort of money.  “They are worried they will be bankrupted and lose their homes and become homeless.”

Residents were first warned of the risk posed by the high-pressure laminate (HPL) cladding towards the end of last year when the fire brigade banned them from using the ground floor car parks because of the risk of a car fire spreading to the buildings.

Since then, the value of the flats has plunged to just £60,000 from an original asking price of between £100,000 and £140,000, leaving many owners in negative equity.

Unlike the ACM cladding that contributed to the Grenfell Tower disaster in 2017, there is no government funding to help replace the equally dangerous HPL cladding, meaning residents of the Decks must find the money themselves – an impossible task for most of them.

During Wednesday’s debate, Mr Twigg called for the government to stump up the money to replace HPL cladding as well as ACM.

He said: “It is important that the Government really tackle the issue, and they can do that only by setting up a fund to make the buildings safe and comply with the regulations now.

“Leaseholders are not to blame and should not bear the cost. My constituents should not be treated differently simply because the cladding is HPL.”

When news of the problems at The Decks first broke, a spokesperson for Scanlans, who manage the buildings said: “We are working closely with Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service and the residents’ association as well as a local property owner to put in place additional temporary parking as well as an enhanced fire alarm system to increase early warning.

“All concerned are working hard in the interests of residents and property owners at The Deck to ensure that the building and its occupants remain safe whilst a longer term solution is found to address the requirements created by the revised Advice Note 14.”