Grenfell Tower: Fire-risk Tests on Cladding on '600 High Rises'
Tests are to be carried out on about 600 high rises across England to see if cladding fitted to the outside is safe, the government has said.
So far, samples from three tower blocks - one in London and two thought to be outside - were found to be combustible.
More test results are expected to be made public within days.
Cladding is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of fire at Grenfell Tower, in which at least 79 people are believed to have died.
Prime Minister Theresa May said all local authorities responsible for the flats had been told.
The announcement comes after the boss of Kensington and Chelsea Council resigned following criticism of the authority's response to the disaster.
Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May said the council "couldn't cope" in the aftermath of the fire, and that it "was right" its chief executive, Nicholas Holgate, had stepped down.
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, councils were told to give details to the government about cladding used in their tower blocks by 20 June.
Cladding is typically fitted to the outside of high-rise buildings to improve insulation and tidy up the appearance of often ugly blocks.
The Department for Communities and Local Government is now co-ordinating tests on it - with up to 100 able to take place in a day.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said nobody would be left to live in unsafe buildings.
"They will be rehoused if they need to be and landlords will be asked to provide alternative accommodation where that's possible," she said.
Earlier, there had been some confusion after Downing Street said 600 tower blocks had "similar cladding" to Grenfell Tower.
The Department for Communities and Local Government later clarified that the figure of 600 referred to the number of buildings with cladding of any kind.
Samples from the tower block in Camden were found to be combustible, and are now removed
Camden Council, in north London, confirmed that cladding used on its Chalcots estate would be removed after safety tests.
The cladding was made up of "aluminium panels with a polyethylene core", said council leader Georgia Gould, and therefore were "not to the standard" that the council had commissioned.
She said the council would inform the contractor behind the work that they would be taking legal advice.
Residents' fears in Tottenham high rise
By Jim Reed, BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme
Residents at a 22-storey block of flats in Tottenham, north London, have been sent an email - seen by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme - saying the building has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower.
Rivers Apartments - which is shared ownership, so classed as social housing - was built just two years ago, with the cladding incorporated as part of the design.
It is understood the block is clad in Reynobond PE, the same brand of cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower.
The programme was told the tower passed all building regulation checks by Haringey Council.
Unlike Grenfell Tower, this block does contain modern safety features, such as a sprinkler system.
Newlon Housing Trust, the housing association that part-owns the block, said it had arranged with the fire service to carry out more checks.
It is still waiting for final test results to confirm it is the most flammable type of cladding.
It says the cladding on the building may have to be replaced.
More than £700,000 has been paid out to survivors of the 14 June fire and Mrs May said she wanted to reassure them that no money would have to be repaid.
She said resources would be available to everyone affected by the fire, regardless of their immigration status.
"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," said Mrs May.
"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."
Later, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid called for "a change in attitude" and approach towards social housing and its tenants.
He said: "We don't yet know for sure whether this disaster could have been avoided if the people who called Grenfell Tower their home had been listened to.
"But we do know that for far too long, that their voices fell on deaf ears, so if nothing else, let the legacy of Grenfell be that such voices will never, ever be ignored again."
'Nowhere to hide'
Replying to Mrs May's statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Grenfell Tower residents were "let down - both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand".
He said: "At least 79 people are dead - it is both a tragedy and an outrage because every single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided."
Mrs May said she expected to name the judge who will lead a public inquiry into the fire within the next few days.
"We want to ensure when the judge takes charge, people feel they can have full confidence in the inquiry," she said.
"No stone will be left unturned. For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide."
The fire destroyed 151 homes - most in the tower block itself, but also a number of surrounding properties.
Mrs May said that 164 "suitable properties" had now been found for those made homeless, and they were in the process of being checked before residents can move in.
The new properties include a block of 68 flats in Kensington, bought by the City of London Corporation and allocated to Kensington and Chelsea Council.
On Wednesday, the PM apologised for "state" failures following the Grenfell blaze. Later that day, Kensington and Chelsea Council confirmed that Mr Holgate was resigning.
In a statement, he said that Mr Javid had asked him to go, adding that his continued presence would be a "distraction" - DCLG denies this.
NHS England said that 10 patients across four London hospitals are still receiving care following the fire in West Kensington. Five of them are in critical care.
One of the hospitals which has looked after patients, King's College Hospital, confirmed it had treated three people with an antidote to cyanide poisoning - although it did not confirm whether they were given it as a precautionary measure.
Do you live in a tower block and have you received notification regarding its cladding? Let us know by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
You can also contact us in the following ways:
Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
WhatsApp: +447555 173285
Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 (UK)
So far, samples from three tower blocks - one in London and two thought to be outside - were found to be combustible.
More test results are expected to be made public within days.
Cladding is thought to have contributed to the rapid spread of fire at Grenfell Tower, in which at least 79 people are believed to have died.
Prime Minister Theresa May said all local authorities responsible for the flats had been told.
The announcement comes after the boss of Kensington and Chelsea Council resigned following criticism of the authority's response to the disaster.
Speaking in the Commons, Mrs May said the council "couldn't cope" in the aftermath of the fire, and that it "was right" its chief executive, Nicholas Holgate, had stepped down.
In the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, councils were told to give details to the government about cladding used in their tower blocks by 20 June.
Cladding is typically fitted to the outside of high-rise buildings to improve insulation and tidy up the appearance of often ugly blocks.
The Department for Communities and Local Government is now co-ordinating tests on it - with up to 100 able to take place in a day.
A Downing Street spokeswoman said nobody would be left to live in unsafe buildings.
"They will be rehoused if they need to be and landlords will be asked to provide alternative accommodation where that's possible," she said.
Earlier, there had been some confusion after Downing Street said 600 tower blocks had "similar cladding" to Grenfell Tower.
The Department for Communities and Local Government later clarified that the figure of 600 referred to the number of buildings with cladding of any kind.
Samples from the tower block in Camden were found to be combustible, and are now removed
Camden Council, in north London, confirmed that cladding used on its Chalcots estate would be removed after safety tests.
The cladding was made up of "aluminium panels with a polyethylene core", said council leader Georgia Gould, and therefore were "not to the standard" that the council had commissioned.
She said the council would inform the contractor behind the work that they would be taking legal advice.
Residents' fears in Tottenham high rise
By Jim Reed, BBC Victoria Derbyshire programme
Residents at a 22-storey block of flats in Tottenham, north London, have been sent an email - seen by the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire programme - saying the building has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower.
Rivers Apartments - which is shared ownership, so classed as social housing - was built just two years ago, with the cladding incorporated as part of the design.
It is understood the block is clad in Reynobond PE, the same brand of cladding believed to have been used on Grenfell Tower.
The programme was told the tower passed all building regulation checks by Haringey Council.
Unlike Grenfell Tower, this block does contain modern safety features, such as a sprinkler system.
Newlon Housing Trust, the housing association that part-owns the block, said it had arranged with the fire service to carry out more checks.
It is still waiting for final test results to confirm it is the most flammable type of cladding.
It says the cladding on the building may have to be replaced.
More than £700,000 has been paid out to survivors of the 14 June fire and Mrs May said she wanted to reassure them that no money would have to be repaid.
She said resources would be available to everyone affected by the fire, regardless of their immigration status.
"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," said Mrs May.
"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."
Later, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid called for "a change in attitude" and approach towards social housing and its tenants.
He said: "We don't yet know for sure whether this disaster could have been avoided if the people who called Grenfell Tower their home had been listened to.
"But we do know that for far too long, that their voices fell on deaf ears, so if nothing else, let the legacy of Grenfell be that such voices will never, ever be ignored again."
'Nowhere to hide'
Replying to Mrs May's statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Grenfell Tower residents were "let down - both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand".
He said: "At least 79 people are dead - it is both a tragedy and an outrage because every single one of those deaths could and should have been avoided."
Mrs May said she expected to name the judge who will lead a public inquiry into the fire within the next few days.
"We want to ensure when the judge takes charge, people feel they can have full confidence in the inquiry," she said.
"No stone will be left unturned. For any guilty parties there will be nowhere to hide."
The fire destroyed 151 homes - most in the tower block itself, but also a number of surrounding properties.
Mrs May said that 164 "suitable properties" had now been found for those made homeless, and they were in the process of being checked before residents can move in.
The new properties include a block of 68 flats in Kensington, bought by the City of London Corporation and allocated to Kensington and Chelsea Council.
On Wednesday, the PM apologised for "state" failures following the Grenfell blaze. Later that day, Kensington and Chelsea Council confirmed that Mr Holgate was resigning.
In a statement, he said that Mr Javid had asked him to go, adding that his continued presence would be a "distraction" - DCLG denies this.
NHS England said that 10 patients across four London hospitals are still receiving care following the fire in West Kensington. Five of them are in critical care.
One of the hospitals which has looked after patients, King's College Hospital, confirmed it had treated three people with an antidote to cyanide poisoning - although it did not confirm whether they were given it as a precautionary measure.
Do you live in a tower block and have you received notification regarding its cladding? Let us know by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
You can also contact us in the following ways:
Tweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay
WhatsApp: +447555 173285
Text an SMS or MMS to 61124 (UK)
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