The future of two tower blocks that exist on the site of an old asbestos factory in Barking will be discussed by councillors tonight - with their demolition expected to be green-lit.

Colne House and Mersea House are two 17-storey tower blocks which are part of the Harts Lane Estate, built shortly after the Cape Asbestos factory closed amid growing public health concerns surrounding asbestos.

The estate’s industrial past means there are a number of environmental issues which are still a concern, including the risk of asbestos contamination.

In the wake of Grenfell, Colne House and Mersea House were found to be covered in combustible cladding and further investigations found issues with some of the construction-related fire precautions.

MORE NEWS: Meet the bottle top artist who is the 'Pride of Barking and Dagenham'

Barking and Dagenham Council has provided extra smoke and heat detectors and fire alarms as well as a ‘waking watch’ – where fire wardens patrol corridors 24 hours a day – but cladding still covers residents’ homes today.

According to a cabinet report, the total cost to carry out all of the works needed for the blocks would set the council back around £38.3million and would not be completed until mid-2027.

The costs had not been budgeted by the council in its Housing Revenue Account business plan and so the council is now looking at other options to deal with the cladding issue.

The council also argues the works will cause "significant disruption" to residents’ lives as they would need to be decanted from their homes.

According to the same report, the council’s preferred plan is to knock down the two towers, which is expected to cost around £15.4m and would take around two years to do.

It’s not clear where existing residents, made up of tenants and leaseholders would go but the £15.4m does include potential leaseholder and homeless payments which are subject to a consultation with the community.

The report also includes long-term estate regeneration plans including a £721m redevelopment which would deliver 1,798 new homes and would take up to 20 years to complete – though this isn’t something the council is currently able to financially explore.

Other plans include knocking down the two blocks and rebuilding the homes for £62m which would take up to four years to complete – though the council has said it wouldn’t be able to rebuild all 200 homes on the site.

Another option is a full refurbishment of the buildings which would cost between £50.2m and £64m and would take around six years to complete.

Cabinet members are being asked to approve the estimated budget to demolish the homes at a meeting tonight (October 15).