Up to £3bn may be needed to fix building cladding

Up to £3bn of public money may have to be spent assessing and removing potentially flammable cladding from buildings in Scotland.

New estimates from the Scottish government suggest up to 1,450 residential buildings may need remediation work, including about 250 high-rises.

It was previously estimated about 900 buildings were affected.

However, full surveys will be needed to establish what needs to be done on a case-by-case basis, with 107 buildings being examined as part of a pilot phase.

It is now estimated that the Cladding Remediation Programme could cost £1.7bn to £3.1bn over a 15-year period.

If new legislation is passed by the Scottish Parliament, additional funding could be unlocked to fix building safety issues.