A civil emergency needs to be declared to deal with tower block evacuations, the Liberal Democrats have said.

The party has also called on the Government to establish a fund to compensate those forced to leave their homes due to fire safety fears.

Lib Dem president Baroness Brinton, who is on the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group, said: "This is a civil emergency.

"The Government must guarantee funding for local councils to do everything necessary to keep people safe and compensate those who have had their lives disrupted.

"Camden Council did the right thing by promptly evacuating unsafe tower blocks.

"But those affected need to be treated fairly and with dignity.

"The Government should provide funding to ensure people evacuated from their homes don't have to pay a penny of council tax until they've returned."