Grenfell blame lies with lethal cladding

■ WHILE mistakes may have been made and questionable decisions taken by the London Fire Brigade, hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Surely the blood is on the hands of those who knowingly opted to cover a residential building with flammable cladding?

Without it, the fire would never have been so ferocious. Those heroic men and women who tried to combat that dreadful blaze put their own lives on the line in order to save people that night.

Nobody knew they would be fighting an inferno that was continually being refuelled by the fabric of the building itself.

John Irving, Leeds

■ It’s no surprise that once again it’s the public servants of the LFB who are blamed for the Grenfell Tower tragedy. But can you imagine the outcry at that huge loss of life if they had not followed policy?

I don’t imagine there are many firefighters who can’t look in the mirror in the morning with a clear conscience. One wonders how many builders, architects, accountants, shareholders, fire service commissioners, local councillors, MPs, members of the London Assembly and former London Mayors can do the same?

Merv Hughes Wickford, Essex

■ The establishment is attempting to deflect the blame for the tragic loss of life in the Grenfell Tower fire onto the LFB. But the firefighters were following an established procedure and had not taken into consideration that cheap, flammable and unsafe cladding had been used on a building that had been designed without cladding.

The report should have addressed the background and causes of the fire first – and the response should have been published afterwards.

J Randall, Morley, West Yorks

■ For the report into the Grenfell tragedy to criticise the fire service over their strategy on that fateful night is fudging the issue. Who on the council decided on the cheaper cladding? Who economised on fire safety and why was there no sprinkler system? Why is it taking so long to address these vital issues?

The fire service should not be the fall guys for this terrible tragedy. It is insulting and an easy way out for those who are truly culpable. Dianne Core, York

■ What an insensitive remark London fire chief Dany Cotton made about the Grenfell Tower. Surely, in hindsight she would have changed aspects of the fire brigade’s response on the night. If not she has learned nothing and that in itself is a tragedy.

Ken Pennington Stalybridge, Cheshire

■ Yes, some of the blame for the Grenfell Tower tragedy is down to the “stay put” order by LFB when they should have evacuated quickly. But surely the council must carry the most blame for allowing the cladding to be installed in the first place?

Tony Howard, Salford

■ The Grenfell report is just another whitewash. Whoever agreed the contracts and use of materials should be held responsible.

B Keen, Ipswich