Some 34 high-rise buildings in 17 local authorities across the country have failed fire cladding safety tests after the Grenfell Tower disaster, the Government has said.

The announcement came as around 3,000 residents of the Chalcots Estate in Camden, north London, face weeks in temporary accommodation after four tower blocks were evacuated.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said testing of potentially combustible cladding "is running around the clock".

"So far the cladding from 34 high-rise buildings, in 17 local authority areas, has failed the combustibility test," he added.

Manchester, Camden, Plymouth, Hounslow, Portsmouth, Barnet and Brent were named by Mr Javid as having buildings that had failed tests.

He stressed "cladding itself is not dangerous" and that a failure in testing does not necessarily mean a building will be evacuated.

"The decision by Camden Council to evacuate four of the five towers on the Chalcots Estate was because the failed testing of the external cladding was compounded by multiple other fire safety failures which the fire inspection team found within the buildings," he said.

Mr Javid praised the "calm and stoicism" residents showed when asked to leave their homes at short notice on Friday, in what he called a "distressing experience".

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said the authority took the "extraordinary action" to clear 600 flats because "we are really clear that those four blocks are not safe".

London Fire Brigade inspecting officers identified concerns over the combination of external cladding, fire doors, gas pipes and insulation, she added.

Despite being urged to leave by officials, around 20 households had refused to vacate their homes, in Taplow, Burnham, Bray and Dorney, by Saturday evening.

Ms Gould said: "There are various legal routes that Camden Council could explore to require people to leave their homes, however, we really don't want to do this."

The council said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe.

Mother-of-six Najmon Adam, who has lived in Bray for 12 years, said she would remain in her property until the council found accommodation in the borough for her family.

The 36-year-old, whose children are aged between five and 15, told the Press Association: "I have a little one who is sick, she has diabetes, she needs insulin, and I can't take her to the leisure centre.

"The schools are just here, I have to go to the school, get her packed lunch ready and take her the insulin.

"How am I going to do that if I am somewhere far?"

Ms Gould committed £100,000 of council funds to pay for food and essential items displaced residents may need, with the council having spent £500,000 on hotel rooms for residents.

Work had been due to begin on stripping cladding from buildings on the Chalcots Estate, but Camden Council ordered the "decant" of residents on Friday evening.

More than 100 people stayed in Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre overnight, while the council promised to reimburse those who had paid for their own hotels.

Refurbishment of the Chalcots Estate was overseen by Rydon, the company involved in the refit of Grenfell Tower, according to the Rydon website.

The site said the Chalcots project was a £66 million refurbishment which lasted 191 weeks.

The work included external thermal rain screen cladding on five towers, new aluminium thermally broken windows on five towers, and an overhaul of external roofs.

It added that 711 flats were modernised with new wiring, heating, kitchens and bathrooms. </s> The announcement came as around 3,000 residents of the Chalcots Estate in Camden, north London, face weeks in temporary accommodation after four tower blocks were evacuated. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said testing of potentially combustible cladding "is running around the clock". He said: "So far the cladding from 34 high-rise buildings, in 17 local authority areas, has failed the combustibility test.”

Camden Council have become the first authority to evacuate residents over fire safety concerns and have asked those living in four high-rise buildings to leave. Prime Minister Theresa May has said that the “necessary” steps will be taken to find people accommodation. Work began in Teeside today as the cladding on a tower block in Billingham failed the tests.

Mrs May said: "We are making sure that the authority has the ability to do what is necessary to ensure people have somewhere to stay and that the work is done so that those tower blocks will become safe for them to return to in future."

So far, Portsmouth, Brent, Camden, Manchester, Plymouth and Hounslow have been named as local authorities with buildings that failed tests. Mr Javid has said that safety measures have been put in place for all affected buildings. The Communities Secretary praised the “calm and stoicism” residents showed when asked to leave their homes at short notice on Friday, in what he called a “distressing experience”

A statement from the Local Government Association said: “Where cladding fails the test, this will not necessarily mean moving residents from tower blocks. In Camden, the decision to evacuate was based on fire inspectors’ concerns about a combination of other fire hazards together with the cladding. “Working with fire service experts to assess risks, a number of councils have already introduced other fire safety measures in buildings, such as 24-hour a day warden patrols, when advice from the fire service is clear that this will mitigate against fire risks ahead of the removal of cladding.” </s> More than 800 homes in tower blocks on a council estate in Camden, north London, have been evacuated due to fire safety concerns.

Camden Council says people in five towers on the Chalcots estate are being moved for “urgent fire safety works”.

Those affected are being placed in temporary accommodation, including in hotels.

“At the moment, all we care about is getting people to safety. The cost we can deal with later,” said the leader of Camden Council. The work to make the blocks safe is expected to take three to four weeks.

The order caused a chaotic scramble of confused residents clutching suitcases and children in the middle of the night — many with no idea where they would stay — from the five buildings in northwest London. All have exterior cladding and insulation similar to that used on Grenfell Tower, a London high rise where at least 79 people are known to have died in a fire last week. </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> LONDON (AP) — The list of high-rise apartment towers in Britain that have failed fire safety tests grew to 60, officials said Sunday, revealing the mounting challenge the government faces in the aftermath of London’s Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

All of the buildings for which external cladding samples were so far submitted failed combustibility tests, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said. As of late Sunday, that includes 60 towers from 25 different areas of the country— double the figure given a day earlier.

The number of buildings at risk is likely to grow as owners and local officials provide more samples for safety tests.

The national testing was ordered after an inferno engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14. The tower’s cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze, which killed at least 79 people.

In north London, officials trying to avoid another fire disaster sought to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe. They faced resistance as some 200 residents refused to budge.

Camden Council ordered residents from some 600 apartments at Chalcots Estate to evacuate late Friday as a precaution after fire inspectors found problems with the blocks’ fire doors and gas pipes.

The council said residents must leave immediately because of those issues and because the towers were encased in similar cladding to the material used at Grenfell Tower.

Hundreds were put up in hotels and other temporary accommodation. The evacuees now face up to four weeks in limbo as workers try to upgrade the buildings’ fire safety features. Council leader Georgia Gould said those still staying in their homes must leave for the renovations to begin.

Sayed Meah, 34, who lives with his mother and wife, said he would not move until the company that helps care for his mother agrees to provide service at a new location.

He said he and other residents are determined to remain in their apartments until a legal notice is obtained or they are “dragged out by their fingernails.”

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

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

London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed the Camden Council’s decision to evacuate the apartment blocks.

“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,” Khan told Sky News.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </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> A London council is evacuating more than 800 households from a tower blocks clad in a similar combustible material to Grenfell Tower after firefighters said they 'could not guarantee resident safety'.

Five blocks in the Chalcots Estate in Camden have similar exterior plastic panels to those fitted to the 24-storey Grenfell Tower.

The cheap cladding was blamed for the fire spreading from one fourth floor flat and engulfing the entire building in the early hours of June 14.

Some 4,000 people are preparing to be evacuated tonight. Camden is the first council to evacuate buildings in the wake of the tragedy.

Camden Council leaders yesterday met angry residents after they found out their homes were clad in a flammable material.

After London Fire Brigade inspected the building it was decided that residents would be 'temporarily decanted' while 'urgent' fire safety works were done.

In a statement today Georgia Gould, leader of Camden Council she was 'determined' to ensure that residents felt safe.

She said: 'Last night the Chief Executive and I led a public meeting to listen to the concerns held by residents of the Chalcots estate.

'Upon hearing from residents the we immediately instructed a joint fire inspection with the London Fire Brigade.

'Today the London Fire Brigade completed a joint inspection of the blocks.

'Together we decided that the Taplow block needs to be temporarily decanted while we undertake urgent fire safety works so that residents can be fully assured of their safety.

'This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation.'

Several other tower blocks in London, as well as building in Manchester and Plymouth were found to contain flammable cladding, the Department for Communities and Local Government confirmed.

Workmen have already started to strip cladding from tower blocks around the country today as investigators revealed tiles and insulation on Grenfell House have not passed safety tests.

At least 79 people are believed to have died in the fire that ripped through the west London tower block in the early hours of June 14.

Cllr Gould added: 'We anticipate that these works will be completed within three to four weeks.

'We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the London Fire Brigade and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time.

'The Grenfell fire changes everything – we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe.

'You will appreciate that this is an emerging situation and we will be providing regular updates.'

Yesterday, London Fire Brigade Borough Commander Simon Tuhill said inspectors would check the fire safety of every building on the estate and make sure firefighting facilities were in place.

He added: 'The Brigade will also programme more in-depth inspections as part of an on-going process.' </s> Urgent fire safety work is to take place on four of the five towers

Hundreds of residents of four London tower blocks have spent the night in emergency accommodation after they were told to leave their homes amid fire safety fears.

The blocks in Camden, north London, containing up to 800 households, were evacuated late last night following news that similar cladding was used on the Chalcots Estate to that which spread the Grenfell Tower fire in Kensington earlier this month.

Council leader Georgia Gould said that, following checks, insulation was found to be safe but external cladding on the blocks "was not up to the standard that we wanted and was not fire retardant".

Image: Four blocks are being evacuated for urgent fire safety work

She added that the "really, really difficult decision" had been made to evacuate the blocks while urgent fire safety work is completed.

It is thought the work will take three to four weeks.

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"We realise that this is hugely distressing for everyone affected and we will be doing all we can, alongside the London Fire Brigade and other authorities, to support our residents at this difficult time," Ms Gould said.

"The Grenfell fire changes everything - we need to do everything we can to keep residents safe."

Ms Gould added: "I know this is difficult but...I don't believe we can take any risks with our residents' safety and I have to put them first.

"We know it's a scary time but we'll make sure they're safe."

Image: Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre and Library has been set up as a rest centre

Responding to mounting criticism over Camden's handling of the evacuation, Sajid Javid, the Communities and Local Government minister told Sky News: "After the Grenfell Tower tragedy, it is vital we carry out checks and make sure people are safe.

"The the local fire safety authority found alongside the cladding problem, which is a serious problem, multiple fire safety failures, including, for example, insulation of gas pipes, fire doors missing, plywood above doors and that's what makes Camden different and why the decision was made to evacuate."

Asked why non-cladding fire risks had not been picked up in previous checks, Mr Javid said: "I ask myself that question. These are multiple fire safety check failures. These are things ... that have nothing to do with the cladding, such as fire doors not being there, auto door closers not being there ... you even had with these towers situations where some of the internal walls were breached.

"You've asked a very good question as to why did this happen in the first place. Why, how could this building have passed fire safety checks? How could it have been given the green light when clearly there were breaches of the fire safety code?"

Mr Javid said there would have to be a long-term review of safety regulations, stating: "That has to happen. In a country like ours, one of the richest countries in the world, in the 21st century, these kind of things absolutely should not be happening."



:: NHS told to check cladding on all buildings

Council leader: No risks over residents' safety

By the early hours of Saturday many residents had been sent to a rest centre at Swiss Cottage Library before council workers allocate them accommodation in hotels or, if possible, with family and friends.

Around 83 people have refused to leave their homes, according to the council.

In a statement issued at 1.24am, a spokesman for Camden Council said: "So far we have secured hundreds of hotel beds for Chalcots residents.

"We're encouraging all residents to stay with friends and family if they can, otherwise we'll provide accommodation.

Image: Inside the refuge centre at Swiss Cottage

"Swiss Cottage rest centre is nearing capacity so we've secured more space at the Camden Centre King's Cross.

"Specialist staff are on the ground to assist residents with care needs. Pets are also welcome at both rest centres and hotel accommodation."

The Chalcots estate has five tower blocks - four 22 storey blocks and one 18 storey block. Blashford Tower, which is the shorter block, did not have to be evacuated as initially stated.

Image: Residents leaving Taplow Tower on Chalcots Estate

Taplow resident Shirley Phillips said she had no sleep on Friday night after she was unable to secure a place in a hotel.

She told Sky News: "They called me a few hours ago and said they had a hotel for me at the Holiday Inn in Camden Town. But when I got there they said there had been a mistake, someone else had taken the room.

"They say the earliest they can get me somewhere is tonight, but it's not 100%."

Other residents said the evacuation was an "over-reaction".

Edward Strange said: "We've had two fires here since the cladding was put on and both fires didn't spread so I don't see what the problem is.

"It's a complete over-reaction, it's ridiculous."

:: Where has unsafe cladding been identified?

Image: 79 people are dead or missing presumed dead after the Grenfell Tower fire

Bob O'Toole from the residents' association said he had only been told about the evacuation about an hour earlier, adding: "We want to keep the residents safe - we don't want any more disasters".

Fire safety expert Stephen MacKenzie told Sky News: "I think (the council has) done the sensible thing in this case.

"I'm at a loss as to why Theresa May has not convened (emergency committee) Cobra today to get emergency arrangements led by central government to support local authorities, to give the residents the necessary reassurance and address this issue."

PM: My thoughts are with residents being evacuated in Camden while their homes are made safe tonight. — UK Prime Minister (@Number10gov) June 23, 2017

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: "London Fire Brigade have been working at the Chalcots Estate with Camden Council. Following extensive joint visits and inspections the Brigade advised that there were a number of fire safety issues in the buildings and recommended that residents should not remain in the buildings until these issues are resolved.

"Camden Council have acted on this by evacuating and providing the residents with alternative accommodation so that remedial works can go ahead as quickly as possible.

"London Fire Brigade officers will continue to work with Camden to put in place measures to improve safety for residents in these buildings." </s> Cladding on the side of five tower blocks in Camden will be urgently removed after tests revealed that it contains a similar flammable plastic to the material used on Grenfell Tower.

After last week's devastating fire at the tower block in west London, the government launched an investigation into cladding on tower blocks in the UK and discovered that over 600 buildings face a fire risk.

Camden council said it would immediately remove the cladding from the high rise Chalcots estate following concerns that it was combustible.

The construction firm and subcontractor responsible for refurbishing the Grenfell Tower, Rydon and Harley Facades, carried out a £150m overhaul on the apartments in Chalcots estate in 2016.

Georgia Gould, leader of Camden Council, told the Camden New Journal that tests had shown that the outer cladding panels on five tower blocks in the estate were made of aluminium panels with a polyethylene core.

She added that while the towers' insulation met all the necessary safety requirements as it was made of fire-resistant rock wool, "the external cladding panels did not satisfy independent laboratory testing or the high standards [the council] set for contractors."

"Camden Council has decided it will immediately begin preparing to remove these external cladding panels from the five tower blocks on the Chalcots estate," Gould said.

Until the panels have been removed, Camden council will carry out 24/7 fire safety patrols on the estate's corridors to reassure residents living there.

Ray Bailey, the managing director of Harley Facades, said that the cladding panels used on the tower blocks in Camden were Reynobond, the same as those used in Grenfell Tower. Bailey said that Camden council had signed off on the design specification.

"There is no evidence to suggest that this product and cladding system installed in Camden is unsafe. Currently there is no link between the cladding and the spread of the fire at Grenfell Tower," he said. "It is right that questions are asked and there will be many questions about this whole tragic incident."

At least 79 people lost their lives in the Grenfell Tower fire. Many people are still unaccounted for.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described the devastating incident as both a "tragedy and an outrage" and said Grenfell Tower residents were "let down - both in the immediate aftermath and so cruelly beforehand."

The survivors have received over £700,000 in compensation and been moved to 68 luxury flats in Kensington.
All 800 homes in the five tower blocks of the Chalcots Estate, in Camden, London, are evacuated after the cladding was declared to have failed fire safety tests.