Hundreds of tower blocks in England could be covered in similar cladding to Grenfell Tower, councils have estimated.
So far tests have revealed that combustible cladding has been found on at least three tower blocks across the UK, the Government has said.
But Downing Street said English councils estimated that 600 high-rise buildings used similar cladding to the block in west London which was the scene of tragedy last week.
Read more: Sajid Javid says voices of Grenfell Tower resident's 'fell on deaf ears'
Theresa May has said tests on tower blocks following the Grenfell tragedy have shown cladding on some blocks is “combustible”.
The Prime Minister said local authorities and fire services concerned are taking “all possible steps” to ensure buildings are safe and residents have been informed.
Mrs May also said the tragedy will not be used to carry out immigration checks on those affected by the tragedy or on those providing “vital” information to identify victims or to assist the criminal investigation.
Prime Minister Theresa May has issued a statement on the government's plan after #GrenfellTower. Here are some of the key points: pic.twitter.com/hVSDPADDwf
— Press Association (@PA) June 22, 2017
Mrs May, making a statement to the Commons, said “no stone will be left unturned” in the inquiry.
She also said: “For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide.”
Mrs May said she expects an interim report to be produced as “early as possible” by the chair of the inquiry.
Theresa May has revealed tests on cladding on some tower blocks have revealed the material to be combustible (PA/PA Wire)
Mrs May went on: “I know many others living in tall residential buildings will have concerns about their safety after what happened at Grenfell. All social landlords have been instructed to carry out additional fire safety checks on tower blocks and ensure the appropriate safety and response measures are in place.”
Read more: Sajid Javid says voices of Grenfell Tower resident's 'fell on deaf ears'
She added: “We’ve also taken steps to make private landlords aware and make our checking facilities available to them for free. The House should, of course, be careful on speculating what caused this fire. But, as a precaution, the Government has arranged to test cladding in all relevant tower blocks.
“Shortly before I came to the chamber, I was informed that a number of these tests have come back as combustible.
Jeremy Corbyn challenged the Prime Minister's statement on #GrenfellTower, urging the government to go further and address wider issues pic.twitter.com/S3ss8iKbI4
— Press Association (@PA) June 22, 2017
“The relevant local authorities and local fire services have been informed, and, as I speak, they are taking all possible steps to ensure buildings are safe and to inform affected residents.”
The Prime Minister said that 79 people had been confirmed dead or listed as missing presumed dead and the death toll, which includes children and whole families, was likely to rise further.
Read more: Sajid Javid says voices of Grenfell Tower resident's 'fell on deaf ears'
Outlining the response to the tragedy, she said: “I would like to reassure people that we will not use this tragic incident as a reason to carry out immigration checks on those involved or on those providing information to identify victims or those assisting with the criminal investigation. We will make sure that all victims, irrespective of their immigration status, will be able to access the services they need including healthcare and accommodation.”
Mrs May told MPs that Kensington and Chelsea Council “could not cope” and said it was right for chief executive Nicholas Holgate to resign.
More than £700,000 has been paid out to victims so far, who will not be expected to repay the cash, and a central command centre has been set up to control the response, with more than 600 people working to support victims in the area.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel