A waterside development in Medway has been identified as having the same type of cladding as the Grenfell Tower.

The Hamptons building in Gillingham Marina is fitted with the plastic covering which is now set to be replaced after Medway Council issued the building's owners with an improvement notice.

The authority is able to take action through the powers it has under the Housing Act 2004.

Until the cladding is replaced, interim safety measures have been implemented at the apartment building to ensure the safety of residents.

Perry Holmes, Medway Council’s chief legal officer, said: “Our primary concern is the safety of the residents and families who live in the building.

"We are pursuing action to ensure that no-one is unnecessarily put at risk and that the issues with the building are addressed.

"We have served an improvement notice to the building owners, which requires them to remove the cladding.

"We have worked with Kent Fire and Rescue Service to recommend that interim safety measures are put in place to ensure residents’ safety.”

The interim safety measures, which are recommended by the Department for Communities and Local Government, include ensuring a fire risk assessment has been carried out in the last year.

Recommendations have been implemented, and call on residents to ensure all smoke alarms are working and that there are no potential routes for fire to spread from the interior of the building to the cladding system.

The development consists of 24 high quality apartments which have prime river frontages, within Gillingham Marina and has a operated security controlled gate at the entrance.

Ian Thomson, assistant director of community safety at Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), said: “Over the last year, KFRS staff have visited all high rise residential blocks over six storeys, completed fire safety inspections and reviewed firefighting plans for each building.

"KFRS staff also encouraged residents to ensure they were familiar with fire safety procedures and evacuation plans for their own buildings and carried out individual home safety checks of people’s own homes for anyone who wanted that, as well as offering leaflets with safety advice in other languages.

"This included the Hamptons.

"Since the issue with cladding was identified at the Hamptons, KFRS has been supporting Medway Council, and working with the building owners and the residents’ association to reach an outcome that will resolve the issue and ensure the safety of residents.

"If any residents of the Hamptons, or any other high-rise blocks in the county, would like to have a free safe and well visit from KFRS please call us on 0800 9237000.”