Flammable buildings

SIR – Talk of banning combustible building materials in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire (report, May 26) causes me to scratch my head a little.

On March 13, our thatched cottage in Somerset was destroyed by fire after our electric meter exploded, killing our cat and much loved dog. Once the fire got into the thatch there was nothing to do but watch it burn.

There could hardly be a more combustible material to use in a building, yet we are forced by the authorities to replace it with the same product. Is that not strange in the current climate? Jonathan Weeks

East Lambrook, Somerset