Sprinklers have suppressed 12 social housing fires since 2010, meaning more than one in every 10 installed system has put out a blaze.

This is the finding from an Inside Housing investigation into the prevalence and cost of sprinklers in the social housing sector. Through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to local authorities and information requests to housing associations, we obtained data about 92 social housing blocks which already have sprinkler systems installed.

These sprinklers have collectively “suppressed” 12 blazes in their lifetimes, the responses said. Six of these were in Sheffield, where the council has retrofitted sprinklers in its sheltered housing schemes and ranch-style flats, as well as a tower block. Two were recorded by housing association CHP, two by Southwark Council, one by ALMO Nottingham City Homes and one by Oxford City Council.