A report has found the cladding crisis could cost up to £22.4 billion as it is revealed part of Southampton is the worst affected area in Hampshire.

The figure was revealed in a report by the House of Commons' Public Accounts Committee.

It said the total cost of remediation to both the public and private sectors could be between £12.6 billion and £22.4 billion.

It also claims that eight years on from the Grenfell Tower fire, residents and taxpayers still face "unacceptable levels of uncertainty and lack of action in resolving the cladding crisis".

Sundowner buildingSundowner building (Image: NQ)

A number of high-rise buildings in Southampton are affected by the crisis - including the Sundowner building in Ocean Village - which has been evacuated due to safety concerns relating to its cladding.

John Adamopoulos has been a Sundowner leaseholder for more than 20 years, when the tower was first built.

READ MORE: Firm releases statement as residents given hours to leave homes

He said residents and leaseholders have been subject to months of constant set backs with no end in sight.

The 67-year-old said: “I bought a property here to help with additional income for my retirement and the situation has become a nightmare.

“I feel so sorry for those who have had there homes destroyed by this. They took off the cladding and insulation leaving people freezing for months.

“Now they have been ordered to leave.”

John AdamopoulosJohn Adamopoulos (Image: Submitted) READ MORE: Sundowner Court evacuated due to 'immediate' fire risks

The PAC report claims that the government does not know how many buildings have dangerous cladding, how much it will cost to address, or how long it will take.

It also claims that as many as three million people may have been affected by the cladding crisis.

READ MORE: Residents evacuated from exclusive flat block due to 'immediate' fire risks

John continued: “It's just report after report – with each one finding more and more issues.

“We can’t live in the building and nobody knows what to do.”

Darren Paffey, MP for Southampton Itchen, has been campaigning for residents affected by the scandal in Southampton and said: "Enough is enough.

"This report confirms what my constituents know only too well.

"Southampton Itchen has the highest number of high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding in Hampshire, and remediation work has started at barely a third of these properties."

He explained that his inbox and surgeries have been filled with "heartbreaking stories" from residents trapped in their unsafe homes.

Mr Paffey said: "Their confidence in finally getting a resolution is already brittle after years of delay and dithering from the previous government."