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Grenfell fire: 75 tower blocks fail safety tests as number continues to rise | Grenfell fire: 75 tower blocks fail safety tests as number continues to rise |
(35 minutes later) | |
A total of 75 high rise buildings in England have failed fire safety tests so far following the Grenfell Tower blaze, according to the Government. | |
Sajid Javid, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, announced the new number, which has been revised upwards from 60, in Parliament. | |
He also said he had asked all councils and housing authorities in England to inspect tall, residential buildings which potentially have similar cladding to that of Grenfell Tower. | |
He said there were around 600 such buildings in the country. | |
"I know the entire country is anxious to hear what we are doing to reassure residents about fire safety in similar blocks around the country," he said. | "I know the entire country is anxious to hear what we are doing to reassure residents about fire safety in similar blocks around the country," he said. |
The programme to test the cladding, a composite of aluminium and which was thought to have helped the Grenfell Tower fire spread quickly, started on 21 June. | The programme to test the cladding, a composite of aluminium and which was thought to have helped the Grenfell Tower fire spread quickly, started on 21 June. |
The 75 affected buildings are spread across 26 local authority areas. | The 75 affected buildings are spread across 26 local authority areas. |
"I know members [of Parliament] will rightly want to know if their residents are affected, and my department will publish regular updates on gov.uk." | |
The combustibility test has three categories and if the building lands in category two or three, it means the cladding does not have limited combustibility. | |
On Friday evening, around 4,000 people were evacuated from high rise buildings in Camden with similar cladding. | On Friday evening, around 4,000 people were evacuated from high rise buildings in Camden with similar cladding. |
The blaze at Grenfell Tower spread within half an hour and killed at least 79 people, and Mr Javid said the death toll was expected to increase. | |
The cladding and insulation material failed fire safety tests after the disaster. | |
Mr Javid said he was "concerned at the speed" of which landlords were submitting samples of their cladding to be tested, and asked them to do so immediately. | |
"I'm determined that residents have as much peace of mind as possible in these worrying times," he said. "Landlords must keep residential buildings safe for their tenants." |