CLADDING similar to that which fuelled the devastating fire at London’s Grenfell Tower claiming the lives of at least 79 residents has been found at a student complex in Bournemouth.

Following a site visit yesterday, owners of the Bournemouth University International College in Lansdowne have confirmed that a “similar type of cladding” was found.

The 16-storey building - developed by Bournemouth University and Kaplan International College - was opened in October 2015 providing teaching facilities, accommodation for nearly 400 students, as well as a cafeteria.

A spokesperson for Kaplan said: “Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower we have conducted a full review of our student accommodation to ensure that we are providing the safest possible environment for our residents. Our Bournemouth site uses a similar type of cladding on a very small area of the building, approximately five per cent of the total exterior, though we have no reason to believe this poses any risk to our residents. It is installed differently, including with fire breaks, and has been independently certified to be safe. This has been reconfirmed by a further review of our building designs carried out last week.

“In line with government recommendations we are sending cladding samples for testing and we expect to receive feedback on these in the coming days.

“In the meantime, we are working closely with local authorities and the fire services who have conducted their own site visit.

“As an additional precaution, we are contracting an independent fire safety specialist to conduct a site review, and we have also increased the frequency of fire safety tests and confirmed that all on-site fire safety equipment, including sprinklers which are fitted on all residential floors, is fully functional.”

In January 2016 a review of the site’s cladding had to be carried out after panels fell away from the £100m complex.

The developer, Watkin Jones, confirmed that the incidents are unrelated.

A spokesman for Watkin Jones said: “As a result of the tragic events at the Grenfell Tower we are, alongside our numerous clients, carrying out a review of all completed projects and those currently under construction.”