60 tower blocks fail new tests

NEW safety fears for high rises have been exposed after 60 towers failed new tests after the Grenfell tragedy.

The checks were more thorough than previous inspections which just examined cladding.

They checked the cladding in combination with foam insulation, as used in the Grenfell block in Kensington, London, where at least 80 people were killed last month.

It is believed nine blocks in Salford, Greater Manchester, are the only local government-owned buildings affected so far.

Housing associations and private landlords are also among the 60 towers.

It comes as police said corporate manslaughter charges could be brought against a council and management organisation.

Previous tests of cladding and insulation were done by turning the material into powder and setting it off with a spark. The new tests involved putting cladding and insulation on a vertical rig and setting it alight.

Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad claimed it was “impossible” for anyone who played a role in authorising flammable material to have public confidence.

She said: “I don’t see how anybody who was anywhere near the decision-making could continue working, any of them at all.”

Former Kensington and Chelsea council chief Nicholas Paget-Brown said he is “desperately sorry”. ●Anh Nhu Nguyen, 52, denied at Southwark Crown Court trying to swindle £10,000 by falsely claiming he lost his wife and son in the Grenfell Tower fire. He was remanded in custody.