Proposals to fit Grenfell Tower with fire-resistant cladding were dropped by the local council in a bid to cut costs just four years before the blaze which killed 71 people.

Conservative Kensington and Chelsea council turned down a quote by a cladding company which fits nonflammable aluminium panels, claiming the £3.3million quote was too expensive.

But it has now emerged that although they went with the cheaper, combustible cladding at £1.3million, the more expensive option would have both saved lives and been cheaper in the long run.

Police and fire services believe the fire was started accidentally by a fridge-freezer located on the fourth floor. The rapid growth of the fire is thought to have been accelerated by the building's exterior cladding.

In the days after the fire, it was revealed that the type of cladding used on the 24-storey Grenfell Tower is banned in the US over fire safety fears.

The Guardian today reports that D+B Facades was asked to provide costs for solid aluminium sheets which do not spread flame, backed with mineral wool insulation which does not burn, by Kensington and Chelsea's contractor, Leadbitter.

But the council later decided that the costs for the cladding were too high and put the contract out to tender to save £1.3million, eventually awarding it to Rydon.

Rydon provided the council with a cheaper quote but used the combustible cladding which caught fire on June 14 last year, killing 71 and leaving 223 homeless.

Stephen Mackenzie, an independent fire safety expert, said that if D+B's version had been used it would have performed better in the fire.

'There would have been little or no fire spread, so the lives lost at Grenfell may have been prevented,' he said.

Survivors' group Grenfell United said today's revelations were 'heartbreaking', with Sandra Ruiz, who lost her niece in the blaze, adding: 'It is more news that tells us our loved ones would be alive today if different decisions had been taken and if the people in charge had put safety first,' said Sandra Ruiz, who lost her niece in the fire.

'We need the inquiry to get to the bottom of why plans for the refurbishment were changed and why when the community raised concerns they were ignored.'

A report carried out after the fatal fire found there was pressure from the council to cut costs on the project - despite the authority being in 'robust' financial health.

Last month a group of fire safety experts and building industry bodies urged the Government to introduce immediate changes in safety standards without waiting for the conclusion of the Grenfell Fire inquiry.

In an open letter, they called for an immediate change in the law requiring all high-rise and high-risk buildings be fitted with sprinklers and that only non-combustible cladding and insulation be installed.

They further demanded all new buildings be required have alternative escape routes.

The letter was prompted by an interim report from the ongoing Grenfell investigation leaked to the press last weak that revealed a myriad of safety failings following refurbishments between 2013 and 2016.

Among the shortcomings were the fact the cladding and insulation material was highly combustible, the windows badly fitted, front doors lacked door closers, the building had no sprinklers, escape routes were too narrow and the building was almost impossible for firefighters to access effectively. </s> A costed proposal to fit Grenfell Tower with panels that did not burn was dropped amid pressure from the Conservative council to slash the cost of the refurbishment, the Guardian has been told.

A cladding company which fits nonflammable aluminium panels claimed it provided a £3.3m quote to fit its system to the 24-storey tower in west London at the request of Leadbitter, Kensington and Chelsea’s preferred contractor in 2013.

But a few months later the council decided Leadbitter wanted to spend too much on the refurbishment and put the contract out to tender to save £1.3m. It selected Rydon, which provided a lower price but fitted the building with combustible cladding which caught fire on 14 June 2017, killing 72 people in what lawyers for victims have called a “national atrocity”.

If the solid aluminium cladding had been chosen it would have almost certainly saved lives, fire safety experts said, and it could also have been cheaper. The council’s housing arm ended up agreeing to a budget which put the cost for the plastic-filled aluminium panels and synthetic insulation which burned so fiercely at £3.5m – £200,000 more than the quote for the noncombustible materials.

The survivors’ group Grenfell United described the development as heartbreaking. “It is more news that tells us our loved ones would be alive today if different decisions had been taken and if the people in charge had put safety first,” said Sandra Ruiz, who lost her niece in the fire.

“We need the inquiry to get to the bottom of why plans for the refurbishment were changed and why when the community raised concerns they were ignored.”

Peter Hillyard, the director of D+B Facades, said his company was asked to provide costs for solid aluminium sheets which do not spread flame, backed with mineral wool insulation which does not burn. He said the thought that his company’s safer and cheaper system was not used sent a shiver down his spine.

Geoff Wilkinson, an independent fire safety expert, said that if D+B’s version had been used it would have performed better in the fire.

“There would have been little or no fire spread, so the lives lost at Grenfell may have been prevented,” said Stephen Mackenzie, an independent fire safety consultant.

The emergence of the proposal will heighten scrutiny of the procurement decisions made by the Kensington and Chelsea Tenants Management Organisation (KCTMO), which managed the building, and the council, which owned it.

Scotland Yard detectives are investigating possible manslaughter and corporate manslaughter charges. They are also looking into “any failings of duty of care owed to victims of the fire”.

Downing Street indicated that the public inquiry, which starts on 21 May, would examine the claims. A spokesperson said: “It will be a decision for the public inquiry exactly what they choose to look at, but the prime minister has set out her view that the truth of what happened must be fully established.”

D+B’s system has passed the full-scale British Standard 8414 fire test, but Grenfell was clad in a combustible synthetic insulation faced with aluminium composite panels that had a combustible polyethylene core. The system has since been shown to fail the fire test.

Researchers claim the panel system used for Grenfell had a calorific value equivalent to 12,000 litres of petrol, while the insulation foam added the equivalent of almost another 20,000 litres. The foam has also been shown to release cyanide gas when it burns and it is feared this may have contributed to the death toll.

There was sustained pressure from the council to cut costs on the project despite the authority being in “robust” financial health, according to accounts for 2014. It had £235m in usable reserves and had underspent its budget for services by £23m.

The council had originally only wanted to spend £6m on Grenfell, but later set the budget at £9.7m when it realised it also needed to replace the heating system. In July 2013, however, the council’s housing committee reported that Leadbitter, which was interested in the nonflammable cladding, was on course to spend £11.3m and so it put the contract out to tender and launched a cost-cutting programme which it called “value engineering”.

The following summer, with Rydon on board, the council’s tenants management organisation emailed the project team: “We need good costs for Cllr Feilding-Mellen [deputy leader in charge of housing].” At that point £300,000 was removed from the cladding budget and zinc panels were replaced with the aluminium composite material with the plastic core.

At least 300 other tall buildings in England are clad in similar systems to Grenfell and need to be reclad after they failed fire safety tests. The system D+B proposed for Grenfell is now being used to replace the dangerous failed cladding on several of those towers.

A leaked report prepared for detectives has already claimed that the insulation on Grenfell “provided a medium for fire to spread up, across and within sections of the facade”. The Building Research Establishment found the fire would not have spread beyond the fourth floor flat where a fridge freezer had malfunctioned if the tower had not been clad in the combustible materials.

“Leadbitter sent us quantities as directed by Studio E Architects,” Hillyard said. “Based on quantities alone our budget was £3.3m. We provided figures based on our own ‘A1 non-combustible’ cladding system and our high quality composite windows. All went quiet and the next time we heard anything was in August 2013 when the tender notice was issued.

“Kensington and Chelsea were inviting main contractors to express interest under a ‘design and build’ contract. This was the last we heard and received no further requests from Rydon, who won the contract for the work.”

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the chair of the Grenfell Tower inquiry which opens in full on 4 June, has said he wants to find out “what decisions about the exterior of the building … were made, by whom and when”. He also wants to know whether the cladding and insulation met building regulations and standards, who was responsible if they did not and “what factors or motives influenced the decisions”.



Bouygues, which now owns Leadbitter, declined to comment on the cost plan for noncombustible cladding, citing the police investigation and public inquiry.



Rydon, the council and KCTMO also declined to comment for the same reasons. </s> Grenfell Tower: Cladding on dozens of UK apartment blocks fails fire safety tests after London inferno

Twenty-seven high-rise apartment blocks have failed fire cladding safety tests carried out in the wake of a deadly inferno at a west London tower, the British Government says.

Specifics on where the buildings were located were not given, but officials said they were in 15 council areas.

Officials had said earlier that samples of cladding panels from 14 buildings in London, Manchester and Plymouth had been found to be combustible.

The testing is being done as officials around Britain scramble to assess the safety of apartment buildings following the June 14 inferno that engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London, killing an estimated 79 people.

Combustible cladding used to insulate the tower and improve its appearance has been blamed for the rapid spread of the blaze.

Overnight on Friday (local time), about 650 homes were evacuated by the Camden Borough Council in London due to fire safety concerns.

The number of households was revised down from an earlier estimate of 800.

However, UK media reported dozens of people at the affected Chalcots Estate were refusing to leave their homes.

Carl McDowell, 31, said he took one look at the packed inflatable beds offered at a nearby leisure centre being used as a temporary shelter, and went back to his own apartment.

He said officials knocked on residents' doors on Friday night, two hours after he had heard about the evacuation on the news.

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said if residents had not left their homes after being visited again by officials on Saturday, "it will become a matter for the fire service".

Ms Gould said the council decided to evacuate the buildings on the Chalcots Estate late on Friday after fire inspectors told officials the blocks were unsafe.

Inspectors uncovered problems with "gas insulation and door stops", which combined with the presence of flammable cladding meant residents had to leave immediately.

So far, Camden Council has been the only local authority known to have asked residents to leave as a precaution.

The flammable external cladding has been identified as the culprit in the Grenfell disaster, but fire-safety experts have said the blaze was probably due to a string of failures, not just the cladding.

Police said on Friday they were considering filing manslaughter charges over the Grenfell disaster and they were conducting a wide-ranging investigation that would look at everything that contributed to it.

The Metropolitan Police said cladding attached to the 24-storey public housing project during a recent renovation failed safety tests conducted by investigators, and they had seized documents from a number of organisations.

"We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards," Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said.

"We are looking at all health and safety and fire safety offences, and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower."

The Government has ordered an immediate examination of the refrigerator model that started the blaze — the Hotpoint model FF175BP.

Hotpoint said it was working with authorities to examine the appliance, adding "words cannot express our sorrow at this terrible tragedy".

The Government has called on all building owners, public and private, to submit samples of cladding material used on their buildings for testing.

Police say 79 people are either dead or missing and presumed dead in the blaze, although authorities have warned the number might change and it could never be known exactly how many people died.

To encourage cooperation, Prime Minister Theresa May said the Government would not penalise any fire survivors who were in the country illegally. </s> Britain's government urged local officials across the country Sunday to urgently submit samples of tower block cladding after tests found that all samples tested so far have failed fire safety standards.
• Why Tower became a raging, wind tunnel of a fire

In London, officials tried Sunday to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe, but faced resistance as several families refused to budge.

The government has collected 34 samples of external cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — and all failed a "combustibility test," Community Secretary Sajid Javid said. The national testing was ordered after a June 14 fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in London, killing at least 79 people. The tower's cladding was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze.

The samples came from 17 different locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell in the first place.

In north London, Camden Council ordered residents at Chalcots Estate to leave some 600 apartments late Friday as a precaution after fire inspectors found problems with the blocks' fire doors and gas pipes. The council said those issues, combined with the flammable cladding that encased the buildings, meant residents had to leave immediately.

Now hundreds of residents face up to four weeks in temporary accommodations as workers try to upgrade the buildings' fire safety features. Around 20 families wanted to stay put, but council leader Georgia Gould says they must leave.

Refurbishment of the Chalcots towers was overseen by Rydon, the same company involved in the recent renovation of the now-devastated Grenfell Tower.

"I think they've done the right thing. Look, you've got to err on the side of caution. You can't play Russian roulette with people's safety," he told Sky News. </s> Tories wanted cheaper cladding on Grenfell Tower to save cash, it was claimed last night.

A construction company said it quoted £3.3million for fireproof panels for the council’s preferred contractor Leadbitter.

D+B Facades provided costs for solid aluminium sheets backed with mineral wool insulation, which does not burn.

But months later Tory-run Kensington and Chelsea council decided Leadbitter were too expensive and put the contract out to tender to save £1.3million.

It chose Rydon, which offered a cheaper price but fitted the building with panels blamed for the blaze spreading so quickly.

D+B Facades director Peter Hillyard told The Guardian the decision sent “a shiver down my spine”.

Experts have said that solid aluminium cladding would almost certainly have saved lives.

The West London skyscraper was burned out in a blaze last June, killing 71 people.

Investigations, including a police probe and a public inquiry, are under way.

Leadbitter owner Bouygues, Rydon and the council all declined to comment, citing the probes. </s> The Grenfell Tower fire that claimed 71 lives would not have spread beyond a single flat if it had started before a refurbishment that saw it clad in flammable materials, a leaked report has revealed.

The findings by fire investigation experts BRE Global, uncovered by the London Evening Standard, reveal serious deficiencies in the installation of the windows, cavity barriers and cladding system, and their failure to meet building regulations.

It states that the fire would have remained confined to Flat 16 — the flat of origin — and would not have claimed even a single life if the original facade of the building had not been re-clad between 2014 and 2016.

We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.

The draft report, dated 31 January 2018, was submitted to the Metropolitan Police Service as part of its investigation.

It finds not only that the cladding material and insulation was combustible, but also serious deficiencies in the design and installation of the windows and cavity barriers, which are critical in preventing a chimney-like effect in the event of a fire.

The leaked document reads: “Grenfell Tower, as originally built, appears to have been designed on the premise of providing very high levels of passive fire protection.

“The original facade of Grenfell Tower, comprising exposed concrete and, given its age, likely timber or metal frame windows, would not have provided a medium for fire spread up the external surface.

“In BRE’s opinion…there would have been little opportunity for a fire in a flat of Grenfell Tower to spread to any neighbouring flats.”

Responding to the report, John Healey MP, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for housing, said: “The terrible fire at Grenfell Tower exposed a breakdown in our system of fire-safety checks and controls. It demands a national response from government to make sure it never happens again.

“Ten months on, it is shameful that only seven other tower blocks with dangerous cladding have had it replaced. Ministers need to stop sitting on their hands, and act urgently to help fund essential fire safety work in tower blocks that they know are dangerous.”

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Green Party Councillor Sian Berry, who has been trying to get to the bottom of a similarly botched refurbishment at the Chalcots estate in Camden, meanwhile urged that parties needed to show a clear commitment to action in order to ensure that a tragedy similar to the Grenfell Tower fire never happens again.

“The residents of Grenfell were failed by many people - those who chose the materials, planned and carried out the work on their homes, but also by the council and the TMO who were responsible for overseeing the works," she said.

"All of this needs to come out in the inquiry and the people responsible must be fully held to account. Justice for Grenfell cannot just remain a campaign slogan."

In a statement, the Met Police said the force was “disappointed” that an interim draft report appeared to have been leaked and published, adding that to protect the integrity of the investigation they would not confirm specifics of the ongoing probe.

“We have made it clear from the outset that this is a wide-ranging criminal investigation that will examine all possible offences and breaches of regulations. That includes a detailed and thorough examination of how the fire started, and how and why it spread,” it read.

“The investigation focuses upon the original construction of the building, all the changes made over the decades and the most recent refurbishment.”

It explained that this included “not just the cladding system, but all the fire doors, windows, building management, and how all of those elements reacted together”, adding that the force was using a range of specialists and experts to provide the detailed analysis needed as part of the “robust” investigation.

Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 1/51 Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police 2/51 A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes 3/51 A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom 4/51 Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police 5/51 Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police 6/51 Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police 7/51 Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA 8/51 A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 9/51 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX 10/51 An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty 11/51 Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 12/51 Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP 13/51 A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images 14/51 Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA 15/51 A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images 16/51 Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP 17/51 A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP 18/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA 19/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 20/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA 21/51 Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 22/51 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 23/51 Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images 24/51 A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 25/51 A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 26/51 Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX 27/51 Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 28/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 29/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire 30/51 Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 31/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 32/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 33/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 34/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 35/51 People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 36/51 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 37/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 38/51 A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 39/51 A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 40/51 A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 41/51 A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 42/51 The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty 43/51 Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall 44/51 Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 45/51 People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett 46/51 A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP 47/51 A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 48/51 Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA 49/51 Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 50/51 Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 51/51 Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire 1/51 Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police 2/51 A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes 3/51 A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom 4/51 Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police 5/51 Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police 6/51 Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police 7/51 Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA 8/51 A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 9/51 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX 10/51 An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty 11/51 Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 12/51 Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP 13/51 A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images 14/51 Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA 15/51 A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images 16/51 Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP 17/51 A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP 18/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA 19/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 20/51 Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementís Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA 21/51 Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls 22/51 Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images 23/51 Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images 24/51 A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 25/51 A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 26/51 Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX 27/51 Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images 28/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire 29/51 Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire 30/51 Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 31/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 32/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 33/51 Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA 34/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 35/51 People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 36/51 People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images 37/51 People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 38/51 A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 39/51 A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 40/51 A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 41/51 A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images 42/51 The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty 43/51 Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall 44/51 Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth 45/51 People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett 46/51 A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP 47/51 A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett 48/51 Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA 49/51 Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 50/51 Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire 51/51 Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

It added: “Our aim is to carry out an investigation that has integrity and if it uncovers evidence that any individual or organisation is criminally culpable we want that evidence to be tested through the judicial system.”

A Kensington and Chelsea Council spokesperson said: “We think the public inquiry and the police investigation are the right places for testing all the evidence as a whole.

“The council is clear – we have handed over thousands of documents – we are committed to finding the truth. We hope full disclosure of all the evidence, tested by the inquiry judge, will deliver the answers to ensure this never happens again.” </s> A damning report into the Grenfell Tower fire has revealed that 'nobody wold have died had the building not been re-clad'.

A 210-page report into the fatal inferno in west London states the fire would have had "little opportunity" to spread from the flat it started in if the exterior of the tower had not been renovated with combustible material.

According to the report, seen by the Evening Standard , the 2014-2016 refurbishment of the tower block failed to meet fire safety standards and "deficiencies" in the new facade helped the fire to spread up the building's exterior.

The report, by fire investigation experts BRE Global, was prepared as part of the police investigation into the June 14 fire at the 24-storey block.

It also identified flaws with the cavity barriers, window frames, "door closers" and flammable insulation and cladding, the paper said.

The horrifying fire at Grenfell Tower in June last year killed 71 people.

The report goes into detail on how the concrete building was turned into a tinderbox due to the refurbishment.

According to the Evening Standard the first conclusion of the report is that the fire would not have spread beyond Flat 16 — the flat of origin — and would not have claimed even a single life if the original facade of the building had not been re-clad.

The Standard say the report, which is dated January 31 2018, says: “Grenfell Tower, as originally built, appears to have been designed on the premise of providing very high levels of passive fire protection.

“The original facade of Grenfell Tower, comprising exposed concrete and, given its age, likely timber or metal frame windows, would not have provided a medium for fire spread up the external surface.

"In BRE’s opinion … there would have been little opportunity for a fire in a flat of Grenfell Tower to spread to any neighbouring flats.”

Colourful panels designed to improve insulation and soften the look of the brutalist concrete block were fitted to the tower in Kensington as part of a £9million refurb which was completed in May 2017.

BRE was asked to achieve three aims:
• “To establish the circumstances surrounding as many deaths resulting from the fire as possible;”
• “To establish any failings of duty of care owed to victims of the fire, both fatalities and surviving residents;”
• “To provide expert witness support in relation to any criminal prosecution, public inquiry or inquest.”

More than 200 tower blocks were found to have similar cladding to Grenfell in the months after the fire. </s> Britain's government urged local officials across the country Sunday to urgently submit samples of tower block cladding after tests found that all samples tested so far have failed fire safety standards.

In London, officials tried Sunday to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe, but faced resistance as several families refused to budge.

The government has collected 34 samples of external cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — and all failed a "combustibility test," Community Secretary Sajid Javid said. The national testing was ordered after a June 14 fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in London, killing at least 79 people. The tower's cladding was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze.

The samples came from 17 different locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell in the first place. </s> A report into the causes of last year’s Grenfell Tower fire by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) has alleged substantial and significant shortcomings in the building’s 2016 refurbishment.

Not only was the cladding chosen badly, the design and installation of windows and cavity barriers was also flawed, turning what had originally been a safe structure into a tinderbox.

The 210-page report produced by BRE Global for the Metropolitan Police’s criminal investigation into the fire has been seen by London’s Evening Standard newspaper, which carries a full report on the findings.

In summary, it says that windows, cavity barriers and the cladding system all failed to meet building regulations.

The fire started in a fridge-freezer in a flat on the fourth floor on 14th June 2017. Flames escaped through an open window, took hold in the cladding. All 24 storeys were rapidly consumed, killing 71 residents.

The first conclusion of the report is that had the building not been re-clad, the fire would not have gone beyond the first flat.

Grenfell Tower was built in 1974 and underwent an £8.6m refurbishment. This was completed only in May 2016. The refurbishment included recladding the building in panels of Arconic's Reynolux coated aluminium sheets with a Reynobond polyethylene (PE) core. Celotex supplied RS5000 insulation.

The refurbishment was carried out by Rydon Maintenance for Kensington & Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation and approved by Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea building control.

According to the Evening Standard, the BRE report says: “Grenfell Tower, as originally built, appears to have been designed on the premise of providing very high levels of passive fire protection.

“The original facade of Grenfell Tower, comprising exposed concrete and, given its age, likely timber or metal frame windows, would not have provided a medium for fire spread up the external surface. In BRE’s opinion … there would have been little opportunity for a fire in a flat of Grenfell Tower to spread to any neighbouring flats.”

The BRE identified five significant breaches of building regulations that appear directly implicated in the loss of life:

1. The cavity barriers, which in the event of fire are meant to expand and seal the gap between the concrete surface of the building and the cladding insulation, were of “insufficient size specification” to be effective. Some cavity barriers were installed upside down or back to front, further retarding their effectiveness. The chosen cavity barriers were designed to close a gap of 25mm but the actual gap was up to 50mm. This failure provided a route for fire to spread.

2. The window frames were 150mm narrower than the gap between the concrete surfaces of the columns. Spaces were filled by a rubberised membrane, rigid foam insulation and uPVC lightweight plastic panels incapable of providing 30 minutes fire resistance, providing fuel for, rather than a barrier to, the fire.

3. The insulation used was combustible and provided a medium for fire spread up, across and within sections of the facade.

4. The aluminium composite material used in the facade had a highly combustible polyethylene core.

5. Many flats had no door closers on their front doors so as residents fled, doors remained opened, further encouraging fire to spread.
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The Guardian reports that the Grenfell Tower in London, which burned down last year with the loss of 71 lives, received a quote for non-flammable cladding but it was rejected for a more expensive option which exacerbated the fire.