34 tower blocks in UK fail fire safety tests: Government
More than 30 tower blocks have failed fire safety tests carried out after the recent deadly blaze that devoured Grenfell tower in London, authorities say.
British officials said Saturday that 34 out of the 600 high-rise buildings in 17 local authority areas, from the southeast to Manchester in the north and Plymouth on the southwest coast, have failed the tests.
According to the Communities and Local Government Department, the number of affected towers could still go up as assessments continue.
“We aren’t just looking at cladding, reviews are also looking at all the other risks we know about at the moment from Grenfell – including the issue of compartmentalisation,” said Bernard Priest, the deputy leader of Manchester City Council.
On Friday, Camden Council said that it was going to remove people from 800 households in the Chalcots Estate and take them to a rest center until the current cladding on the building was replaced with fire retardant material.
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Council leader Georgia Gould said staff would stay to continue asking those who had not yet left to vacate their flats.
"By remaining in the blocks these residents risk delaying the work that is required and that we are undertaking to make these homes safe,” Gould said. "It is not safe to remain in these blocks and our residents' safety will continue to be the council's number one priority."
A fire engulfed the Grenfell social tower block in west London on June 14, killing nearly 80 people. It was the British capital's most deadly blaze since World War Two.
UK Police completed their investigation into the block fire on Friday and said they will press “manslaughter” charges against the main culprits for using banned material on the 24-story building.
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