Many of you will be aware that I predicted problems with PU insulation years before Grenfell. I made a video of burning Kingspan from my house - where we'd removed it due to safety concerns. We used it as firelighters. And put a video up on youtube, showing how flammable it was, and showing the thick black tox ic smoke that emanated from it. When I woke up on the fateful morning and saw the news about Grenfell, I re-posted the same video that had been on youtube for over a year. On Twitter. I said that this had been coming for a long time - that PU foam is just too risky to use in building.
Little did I know at the time I was going to be involved in a murder enquiry centred on the management of Kingspan insulation.
So.. at 10.06 on thursday 15th June 2017, I received an email. From Adrian Pargeter. Describing himself as Head of Technical and Marketing GB.
This is what it said:
"Mr Ward
I tried to call you yesterday and left an urgent message and my number for you to contact me regarding the tweet you sent out yesterday morning regarding the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.
I have attached a letter which will also be posted, explaining our position on the Grenfell fire and requesting immediate removal of your defamatory tweet.
If you wish to discuss this futher please do not hestiate to use the number below."
The famous letter is reproduced here, with Pargeters email.
I replied to them and told them to shove their letter where it hurt. On Twitter, and by email.
An hour later, I got a phone call from Channel 4's news Director, who asked me for a copy of the letter, and said "Pete: You're going to love this - well done for holding them up to criticism - watch the news tonight"
That afternoon and evening, Channel 4 roasted Kingspan. They showed how Kingspan WAS in Grenfell, and Pargeter lied. I will repeat this - The Head of Technical and Marketing for Kingspan LIED to me in his letter and email. For some weeks afterwards I was furious - and did various interviews, was a part of the Grenfell Forum set up immediately post fire, and helped with whatever I could. After time, things faded - I despaired of seeing any action. Then the Enquiry started. I sent a copy of the letter and email to the enquiry, who politely thanked me, and that was that.
I was of course delighted to see Pargeter being totally roasted by the enquiry.
Bearing in mind the nastiness of the letter, when you see the pathetic human being that sat behind a desk in the enquiry, you see just what dregs of humanity are involved.
After the enquiry concluded, I was contacted by the Metropolitan Police - who told me they were indeed working on a murder enquiry - and my evidence would be very welcome. We spent a day or so working on this, and they took copies of the videos, and letter from Pargeter, as part of their investigation. I was told they had a team of nearly 15 senior detectives working JUST on Kingspan.
Time has rolled by - and to date nobody has been arrested, nothing has happened, and Kingspan still sell their toxic shit. So I'm publishing this, with nice videos and pics, in the hope that the memory of Grenfell will not fade, and that Pargeter will get what he deserves. Yesterday we saw a horrific fire in Switzerland, burning PU foam in a nightclub. Grenfell has taught nothing - Kingspan is still sold everywhere, fires keep happening, and this stuff just keeps burning and killing people.
When will all this end?
