Councillor David McBride said the local authority had looked at the possibility of installing Combined Heat and Power (CHP) at the Dalmuir flats but it was too expensive.

His statement comes a week after the Post highlighted how the heating system had slashed fuel bills for residents of Radnor Park, whilst also helping to eradicate damp from the Clydebank properties.

Councillor McBride told the Post: “The Dalmuir multi-storey blocks have had a huge investment including new external cladding and windows, close upgrade and 24/7 CCTV coverage.

“CHP was considered but could not be progressed. This was because of the layout of the site, its proximity to the railway line, the initial capital costs and ongoing running costs, together with the limited availability of external funding. In fact, grants for such schemes are far lower than previous years due to reduced government targets, however we will always seek any grants available to assist our tenants.

“The Dalmuir flats remain desirable and we recently let more than 70 homes in just six months,” he continued. “There have been isolated cases of condensation dampness which can be reduced using a number of simple measures involving heating and ventilation. Our officers will be visiting the properties that have highlighted a problem and investigating further.” Daniel Lennie, chairman of Dalmuir Multi-storey Flats Residents Association, said a survey of tenants, to be carried out this week, would reveal just how “isolated” the damp problems were.

Rejecting the view there was little grant funding available for CHP. Mr Lennie said: “I am extremely disappointed with Mr McBride’s comments. We will keep pushing for this, we will not let up.

“I have emailed the company that does CHP so I’ll find out where equipment needs to be put and costs, etc.

“Everyone says fuel poverty is so bad but here we have again politicians saying we are not going to do anything about it.” Residents of the Dalmuir flats will tomorrow (Thursday) receive a survey asking for their experiences regarding heat, damp and fuel poverty.