Fire safety

Grenfell Tower fire: Thousands may be forced to flee homes as seven towers test positive for 'combustible' cladding

Hundreds of tower blocks in England have similar cladding to that used in the Grenfell Tower fire disaster, Downing Street has admitted.

So far tests have revealed that combustible cladding was used on seven tower blocks in four areas across the UK, the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said.

But English councils have estimated that 600 high-rise buildings used cladding similar to Grenfell Tower in west London, where at least 78 people died last week after the building was engulfed in flames.