A ROOFING expert has given a damning appraisal of "sandwich panel" roofing like that used in Fulford Place.

Fire protection consultant Bill Parlor, pictured, has over 30 years experience in the roofing trade and is a British Standards advisor.

He said he had major safety concerns over "sandwich panel" roofing.

His concerns came in the wake of findings from an interim report carried out by North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service in to the blaze which swept through the flats complex off Fulford Road on May 13.

Mr Parlor said there needed to be a change to current building regulations as a result.

He said: "The building regulations were amended in 2000 to discuss the use of these panels on buildings and the information is quite detailed, but it is well-known that when ignited these things are difficult to put out because the fire brigade can't actually get to the seat of the fire with water."

The report findings focused attention on the "sandwich panel" structure of the roof which the Evening Press has already highlighted as a concern to firefighters. It took 80 firefighters most of the night to get the massive blaze under control and between 50 and 60 flats were affected.

The "sandwich panel" method of roof building involves a plastic core wedged between two metal sheets which are attached to the outer roofing material above and underneath to metal or wooden joists.

Mr Parlor said: "They are seen as a quick-build solution, economical, cheap and easy to construct. I would say developers are now using this kind of roof construction in an increasing number of residential properties." He said as well as commercial premises, it was also used in hotels, schools and hospitals.

A spokesman for Taylor Woodrow, the company which built the flats, said: "At this stage it would be inappropriate to comment on any one individuals opinion. We will await the findings of the full report so we can understand all the implications of that before we decide what needs to be done as a consequence."

A spokesman for the Association of British Insurers said: "Although insurers would still insure the building they may well insist on certain safety precautions such as sprinklers or fire alarms being in place."

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The council's Building Control team is involved in ensuring that the design of a building complies with Building Regulations. As far as we are aware, the building complies with the regulations."

North Yorkshire's Deputy Chief Fire officer Chris Anderson said: "We will be looking to set up a dialogue with City of York planners to discuss the implications of this when the report comes out and they will be taken up with Government departments as necessary."

The full report for the Fulford Place fire is expected to be made public within the next month.

Updated: 10:29 Saturday, July 30, 2005