A police investigation into the fire last year at Lakanal House in south London is now unlikely to conclude before April 2011 at the earliest, Southwark coroner’s court has been told.

A second pre-inquest hearing last Wednesday was told that criminal charges had not been ruled out.
At the initial pre-trial hearing last December, police had suggested their investigations would have been finished by June 2010.

The fire in July 2009 killed six residents.

DCI Rick Murphy told the hearing that the criminal investigation was still in progress and that he did not expect it to be finished until next April at the earliest, according to a report in Housing Today. He said the investigation was still awaiting the outcome of forensic tests and investigators’ reports.

The barrister representing relatives of those who died at Lakanal House expressed their concerns about not having a firm timetable in place for the inquest because of the time the investigation is taking.

This was echoed by the deputy leader of Southwark council, Ian Wingfield, who told BBC News:

"We have written to the coroner to let her know our concerns about the time the investigation is taking. Whilst we understand this is a complex investigation residents are very anxious to understand what caused the tragedy."

The council has been run by Labour since May 2010, replacing the previous Conservative-Lib Dem administration.

Last month a fire at Marie Curie House – the block next door to Lakanal House – severely damaged a maisonette on the thirteenth floor of the building. In that fire, however, no one was hurt and the blaze was contained to the flat of origin.

The coroner, Judge Frances Kirkham, indicated that there would need to be another pre-inquest hearing before the inquest proper opened, but did not set a date for either of these.