Maker halts sale of tower panels

Sales of the type of panels attached to Grenfell Tower have been halted for highrise buildings by the manufacturer.

Arconic stopped global sales of its Reynobond PE cladding for tall buildings, citing concerns about the “inconsistency of building codes across the world”.

Coated in aluminium, the panels have a plastic core which is suspected to have accelerated the spread of the blaze.

Reynobond PE has reportedly been banned for use on towers in Germany and the US but not in the UK.

The manufacturer said: “Arconic is discontinuing global sales of Reynobond PE for use in highrise applications.

“We will continue to fully support the authorities as they investigate (the Grenfell) tragedy.”