Council tower blocks evacuated to allow ‘urgent’ fire safety work to be carried out

RESIDENTS ARE to be evacuated from hundreds of flats in five tower blocks over fire safety fears in the wake of the Grenfell Tower blaze.

Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said some 800 households in five tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate in Camden would be “temporarily decanted” to allow “urgent fire safety works” to take place.

The council had already announced it would immediately begin preparing to remove cladding from five towers on the estate discovered in checks following the fire in north Kensington which killed at least 79 people.

In a statement last night Ms Gould said firefighters and council officials had inspected the estate earlier yesterday. She added: “Together we decided that the Taplow block needs to be temporarily decanted while we undertake urgent fire safety works so that residents can be fully assured of their safety. This means that we need to move residents from their homes and into temporary accommodation.”

The news came as four more victims of the Grenfell Tower disaster have been formally identified.

The identities of the three men and one woman are not being revealed “on request of the families”, Scotland Yard said.

It brings the total number of identified victims of the June 14 fire to nine, out of at least 79 people believed to have died in the tragedy.

It was revealed that survivors and the families of victims of the tragedy will be given thousands in charitable grants as some of the public donations raised are consolidated. The Charity Commission has announced, in a first phase of funding, an initial payment of £20,000 will be given to the families of each person who has died or is declared missing presumed dead.

Up to £10,000 will also be available for immediate distribution to each person seriously injured and requiring hospital treatment.