Hundreds of homes in London evacuated over cladding safety fears

Officials say they acted because fire officials said they could not guarantee the safety of residents.

Towns and cities across Britain with projects using similar cladding materials had eagerly awaited the provisional test results, knowing the findings would have major implications.

"On the estate overnight we swiftly began work to address fire safety issues that the London Fire Brigade had identified and which led the Brigade to say late on Friday that residents should not remain in the buildings until these issues are resolved. Where do they think we are all going?" "Or at least we should be given the choice. But this has been done in 2009 and suddenly in one night we have to leave".

British Prime Minister Theresa May had come in for a barrage of criticism over her own response to the disaster.

It was also confirmed that as many as 200 hotel beds had been secured to provide accommodation to some of those evacuated although anyone with friends or family nearby were encouraged to stay with them if possible.

Camden Council initially said just some 161 households in the Taplow building on the estate were being "temporarily decanted" to allow up to four weeks of work to be done to the building.

The Department for Communities said 27 apartment blocks had failed tests, from London in the southeast to Manchester in the north and Plymouth on the southwest coast.

"We are looking at every criminal offense from manslaughter onwards", Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack told reporters.

The government has ordered an immediate examination of the refrigerator model that started the blaze.

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

"In common with many hundreds of thousands of buildings across the country, part of our stadium does have a cladding system".

Combustible cladding used to insulate the tower and improve its appearance has been blamed for the rapid spread of the blaze. "The initial test on the cladding tiles also failed the safety tests".

Shirley Phillips, who lives in one of the tower blocks said: "I think it's absolutely disgusting".

The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported Friday that around 30,000 buildings across Britain are likely to be examined to check cladding materials used.

Samples from at least 14 high-rise buildings in London and across England have already been found to be combustible.

Mohammed Sharif, who has lived on the Chalcots estate since 2009, told ITV News he was "confused", before adding "I don't know where they are going to take me. where can I go". "This national policy may well be reviewed following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower but remains the most authoritative advice available at this time", it adds.

From her 18th floor flat on the estate, Pippa Wordsworth has a grim view of Grenfell Tower, now a burnt-out hulk.

In the aftermath of the tragic fire that broke out at the Grenfell Tower, residents from over 800 homes were evacuated following inspection of fire safety norms and its compliance, reports The Guardian.

Labour has stepped up its attack on the Government over the tragedy, with shadow home secretary Diane Abbott claiming the victims died as "a direct effect of Tory attitudes in social housing".

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein). T-shirts left by firefighters with messages and flowers in tribute to the missing people, near to Grenfell Tower apartment building in London, Friday, June 23, 2017.

Heartbreaking messages written on red London Fire Brigade T-shirts offer poignant tributes alongside flowers, toys and candles at the shrine. Grenfell Tower is situated in Kensington, one of the richest boroughs in Europe.

Another firefighter wrote "Our hearts go out to everyone touched by this tragedy". I'm so angry because we had the meeting with the council last night and they tried to reassure us.

This story has been corrected to show the name of complex is Chalcots.