MPs across the Bradford district have backed changing the law to help improve the safety of residents in high-rise flats.

Calls have been made for sprinkler systems to become compulsory in all tower blocks, not just new-builds, in the aftermath of Wednesday’s horrific fire at Grenfell Tower in London.

Both West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service and local housing providers have said they will be looking to learn lessons from the tragedy, but added they were confident they were already enforcing best practice and “robust” fire safety policies.

The cause of the Grenfell fire, which took more than 24 hours to bring under control, remains unknown, but concerns have been raised about the lack of sprinkler systems in the building and the fact that a plastic-core cladding had been added during a multi-million pound refurbishment in 2015.

John Grogan, who was sworn in as Keighley’s new MP in parliament yesterday, said there were six tower blocks in his constituency, and he would be visiting them all in the coming days.

He said he would start today, by visiting those living in four tower blocks managed by Incommunities, “just to discuss with residents any concerns they may have”.

But he said he had been told by Bradford Council leader Susan Hinchcliffe that the blocks had only recently undergone a fire safety inspection.

Mr Grogan (Lab) said he would support any moves to tighten the law, requiring landlords to retro-fit older tower blocks with sprinklers.

Speaking shortly after coming out of a Parliamentary briefing on the Grenfell Tower fire, he said: “That very much came up in the briefing. This is a big issue.”

Mr Grogan said Bradford, in particular, had painful memories of the 1985 Bradford City fire in which 56 people died, and he had been at Valley Parade on that fateful day.

“Whenever I see a terrible fire, I remember that day. I think in the city of Bradford there would always be that feeling that we should do everything possible as regards fire prevention.”

Calls for tower-block owners to be required to fit better fire prevention kit were echoed by Imran Hussain, Labour MP for Bradford East.

He said: “The devastating fire in London which has claimed many lives is deeply tragic and my thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends who have lost loved ones, and it is clear that there are very serious questions that need to be and must be asked in the aftermath of it.

“One such question is why the fire was able to spread so rapidly when adequate fire prevention measures and the safety of residents should have been the main priority of any landlord, and we, therefore, need to ensure that older residential blocks are protected against fire in the same way that new blocks are.

“To this end, I will be speaking with West Yorkshire Fire Service to seek reassurances from them about the safety of residential blocks in Bradford East, as well as to press them for a thorough assessment of the fire prevention measures in these blocks so that many residents who are currently understandably worried, are kept safe.”

Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, said she would support any changes in the law necessary to keep people safe.

She said: “We have to take stock of what’s happened as a country and we need to make sure this never happens again.”

Conservative MP for Shipley, Philip Davies, said he had been contacted by constituents worried about the safety of Incommunities-run tower blocks in his area, which he was taking up.

He added: “There is going to be a full public inquiry into this horrific tragedy. Clearly lessons need to be learned but I think we should leave that to the public inquiry and ensure that any clear findings from that are addressed and implemented.”

Following the tragedy, WYFRS issued advice and reassurance to people living in high-rise buildings across the county yesterday.

A spokesman said: “High-rise buildings inherently create challenges to fire-fighting due to their design. We do collect information on such premises, and our firefighters are trained and equipped to respond to fires in high-rise buildings.

“The design of such buildings is that any internal fire within a high-rise should be contained to the flat where the fire started and the fire should not spread in the way that it did in London.

“Such buildings do not necessarily require a communal fire alarm to conform to building regulations, but each individual flat would be expected to have smoke detection.

“We continue to work with local authority partners, landlords, and managing agents across West Yorkshire to promote best practice.

“Until the full details emerge, we cannot speculate on why this incident developed as it did, but clearly we will be taking any learning that comes from this tragic event.”

WYFRS area manager for fire safety, Chris Kirby, added: “Our thoughts are with all those affected by this horrific fire in London which is truly devastating.

“In West Yorkshire there are around 400 high-rise buildings, with six or more floors, and it’s understandable that people will be concerned if they are living, or have relatives living, in this type of premises.

“Fires of this severity are extremely rare, however.”

On the issue of sprinkler systems, WYFRS deputy chief fire officer Dave Walton said: “Legislation requires that sprinklers be installed in buildings in excess of 30m.

“For all other buildings the installation, or otherwise, is a matter of consideration for the person responsible for the building in the context of their fire risk assessment.

“As a service we recognise, and promote, the value of sprinklers. Without question they ensure that less damage occurs should a fire start, and of course this will lead to higher levels of safety for building occupiers and our staff who may be tasked to deal with a fire within a premise.”

Katie Brown, secretary and acting chairman of the Bradford District Tenants and Residents Federation, said the group was happy to help any residents who had safety concerns in the aftermath of the tragedy.

“West Yorkshire Fire Service are strict with their guidelines, and most of the flats here are done to a very good standard,” she said.

“I’ve got faith in the rules that they have set down.

“It is absolutely awful what has happened in London, and we want to put people at ease. We are due to meet at the end of the month and it will be on the agenda to look at the safety of flats so that this type of incident never happens here.”

On the issue of sprinklers being installed in all high-rise flats, regardless of their age, she said: “Sprinklers do save a lot of lives. I would be in favour of seeing them everywhere.”

A spokesman for Incommunities, the district’s biggest social housing landlord with 30 high-rise blocks of eight floors or more, said: “We share with everyone our sadness at the fire tragedy in London this week and our thoughts are with all those that have been affected.

“Our customers can be assured that we have robust fire safety policies and procedures in place covering all our blocks, sheltered schemes, and communal areas, and carry our regular fire safety inspections of all these sites.

“In addition, all our blocks and sheltered schemes have up to date fire risk assessments in place.

“We would also reassure residents living in our high-rise blocks that the external cladding uses non-combustible rock wool insulation which is not the same as that used in the London tower block.

“We are currently writing to all our customers living in our high-rise blocks to reassure them that their safety is our priority as their landlord. We regularly provide fire safety advice for our customers using our tenant newsletter, social media, and internet and will continue to keep customers up-to-date.

“We work closely with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure we continue to provide the highest standards of safety for our customers. We will monitor the outcome of the subsequent investigation into the fire and, if required, review our procedures and advise our customers accordingly.

“We would urge any customers who have any concerns or would like a fire safety home visit to contact Incommunities’ Fire Safety Team on 01274 257256.”