A Croydon MP has launched a campaign calling for the government to fund the retrospective fitting of sprinklers in tower blocks.

Sarah Jones, MP for Croydon Central, called for the government to fund sprinkler retrofitting, rather than local councils, in a video posted on social media.

Following the Grenfell fire, Croydon was the first council to announce it would retrofit sprinklers in 26 flat blocks in over 1,250 flats across the borough, funding the work itself.

Mrs Jones said: “As Labour’s Shadow Housing Minister, I’m calling on the government to fund this essential work, that the experts say we need, that we know we need from the Lakanal House fire and that we know we need from Grenfell.”

The Croydon MP appealed for the government to create a £1bn fire safety fund to cover the improvements.

Also appearing in the video, Alison Butler, deputy council leader and lead member for homes, said: “Whether or not the government funded it, we were completely committed to doing this job, but we did immediately write to Ministers about what we wanted to do.

“We were really disappointed that the story that came back from Government wasn’t what they were saying on television.

“It was that they weren’t prepared to assist us with this programme.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government spokeswoman said: "Since the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, we have taken steps to ensure the immediate safety of all high rise buildings. 

"If a local authority has concerns about funding essential fire safety measures, they should contact us to discuss their position."