The leader of Thurrock Council, Rob Gledhill, has praised the fire service after they extinguished a fire in a high-rise block of flats in Seabrooke Rise in Grays.

Firefighters were called to reports of a fire in a flat on the eighth floor of the Lionel Oxley House Tower block in the Seabrooke Rise estate.

Fire fighters managed to put out the fire, but the flat was damaged by the flames and one person was taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. 

Although this incident was not serious, fires in high-rise blocks of flats have become of great concern to people nationwide after the recent tragedy at Grenfell Tower in London.

Councillor Gledhill, said: “Any fire in a tower block is cause for concern - I am happy to say the damage caused by the fire was minimal.

“Within minutes, the fire service and council officers were on the scene – dealing with the fire and assisting the family.

“In the days following the tragedy at Grenfell Tower, council officers hand-delivered fire safety guidance to every high rise property for which the council is the landlord, and extra fire safety checks were carried out.

“Public meetings were held with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, council officers and myself which again highlighted what to do in the event of a fire in the property, the stay put policy, what it means and the reasons why the fire service say it is the best thing to do.

"We are also bringing forward my suggestion to fix hard copies of this guidance to the entry doors, like you see in hotels, of every flat.

"I want to thank Essex Fire and Rescue Service and council officers for their swift and efficient action and reassure residents that we continue to put their safety first.”