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Tenants shared their relief as workmen began stripping the cladding from two Bootle tower blocks after it failed fire safety tests.

Government officials tested samples of the cladding on Wren House and Cygnet House in the wake of the Grenfell Towers disaster.

One Vision Housing, which owns the blocks, said its towers’ cladding met building regulations, but had not passed the new “combustility test”.

Contractors then arrived on site and began stripping away some of the coloured panels on the blocks.

But there is no evacuation planned at the towers on St James Drive, unlike the four Chalcots towers in Camden which had several other safety failures.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Steffanie Williams, 24, who lives in Wren House with her one-year-old son, said: “I’m glad they are doing something about it, and doing it so urgently.

“When I saw it on the news, it did worry me and I hoped they would sort it out.

“All the construction workers went around to tell people in each flat to take their details in case it had to be evacuated.

“We have even had firefighters staying overnight in the block in an empty flat.

“I’ve had three letters explaining the situation - One Vision have been really informative.”

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Joan Pedersen, 77, visiting her daughter in Cygnet House, said: “I was made up that it’s being removed.

“I wasn’t sure if she had that cladding, but it stops you being worried sick like I was. It’s relieved me no end.”

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Cameron Campbell, 36, a trainee teacher who has lived in the block for 17 years, said: “One Vision have been amazing - I contacted them on the day of the fire in London.

“They carried out an inspection the same day.

“Now the cladding work should be done in the next two days. It’s pretty safe though - there’s fire safety plans and alarms in the halls and flats.”

Another young mum said: “I’m relieved. But I only found out last night when I came home and saw it.

“It was a bit scary seeing Grenfell, it’s devastating things like that can happen - you would think there’d be a lot more checks.

“I was worried a bit for my own safety, and this makes it a bit more real.”

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

One Vision Housing said in a statement: “We have been working closely with government departments, local authorities, Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and our own fire safety consultants C.S Todd and Associates Ltd regarding fire safety within our high-rise properties.

“Part of this approach involved testing cladding through the Building Research Establishment (BRE), of which test results have shown certain elements of the cladding on two of our high-rise blocks, whilst meeting building regulations, does not meet the latest Department for Communities & Local Government (DCLG) test criteria.

“As a precautionary measure to ensure the continued safety of our tenants, One Vision Housing have taken the decision to remove the cladding from the two blocks with immediate effect, to allow for further investigations.”

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said in a statement: “We are working closely with One Vision Housing to offer advice and reassurance to residents at the scene.”</s>LONDON (AP) — The list of high-rise apartment towers in Britain that have failed fire safety tests grew to 60, officials said Sunday, revealing the mounting challenge the government faces in the aftermath of London’s Grenfell Tower fire tragedy.

All of the buildings for which external cladding samples were so far submitted failed combustibility tests, Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said. As of late Sunday, that includes 60 towers from 25 different areas of the country— double the figure given a day earlier.

The number of buildings at risk is likely to grow as owners and local officials provide more samples for safety tests.

The national testing was ordered after an inferno engulfed Grenfell Tower in west London on June 14. The tower’s cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze, which killed at least 79 people.

In north London, officials trying to avoid another fire disaster sought to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe. They faced resistance as some 200 residents refused to budge.

Camden Council ordered residents from some 600 apartments at Chalcots Estate to evacuate late Friday as a precaution after fire inspectors found problems with the blocks’ fire doors and gas pipes.

The council said residents must leave immediately because of those issues and because the towers were encased in similar cladding to the material used at Grenfell Tower.

Hundreds were put up in hotels and other temporary accommodation. The evacuees now face up to four weeks in limbo as workers try to upgrade the buildings’ fire safety features. Council leader Georgia Gould said those still staying in their homes must leave for the renovations to begin.

Sayed Meah, 34, who lives with his mother and wife, said he would not move until the company that helps care for his mother agrees to provide service at a new location.

He said he and other residents are determined to remain in their apartments until a legal notice is obtained or they are “dragged out by their fingernails.”

Refurbishment of the Chalcots towers was overseen by Rydon, the same company involved in the recent renovation of the now-devastated Grenfell Tower.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell and other buildings in the first place.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed the Camden Council’s decision to evacuate the apartment blocks.

“I think they’ve done the right thing. Look, you’ve got to err on the side of caution. You can’t play Russian roulette with people’s safety,” Khan told Sky News.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>Britain's government urged local officials across the country Sunday to urgently submit samples of tower block cladding after tests found that all samples tested so far have failed fire safety standards.
• Why Tower became a raging, wind tunnel of a fire

In London, officials tried Sunday to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe, but faced resistance as several families refused to budge.

The government has collected 34 samples of external cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — and all failed a "combustibility test," Community Secretary Sajid Javid said. The national testing was ordered after a June 14 fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in London, killing at least 79 people. The tower's cladding was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze.

The samples came from 17 different locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell in the first place.

In north London, Camden Council ordered residents at Chalcots Estate to leave some 600 apartments late Friday as a precaution after fire inspectors found problems with the blocks' fire doors and gas pipes. The council said those issues, combined with the flammable cladding that encased the buildings, meant residents had to leave immediately.

Now hundreds of residents face up to four weeks in temporary accommodations as workers try to upgrade the buildings' fire safety features. Around 20 families wanted to stay put, but council leader Georgia Gould says they must leave.

Refurbishment of the Chalcots towers was overseen by Rydon, the same company involved in the recent renovation of the now-devastated Grenfell Tower.

"I think they've done the right thing. Look, you've got to err on the side of caution. You can't play Russian roulette with people's safety," he told Sky News.</s>LONDON — U. K. authorities raised to 60 the number of residential towers in England that have failed fire-safety checks triggered by the lethal blaze in a London high-rise earlier this month, as concerns grew over the safety of residents in social housing.

All buildings examined so far have failed the checks, which involve testing samples of their external cladding for flammability, a spokesman for the Department for Communities and Local Government said Sunday.

Read: Hundreds of high-rise homes in London evacuated over fire risk fears

The government has asked landlords to send in samples from the buildings they are most concerned about first, which means that the initial batch is likely to fail the tests, the spokesman said.

The 60 buildings which failed the tests are located in 25 areas across England, including north London, Manchester and Plymouth. The exterior facade is suspected of having contributed to the quick spread of the fire that incinerated west London’s Grenfell Tower on June 14, killing at least 79. The government identified about 600 social-housing towers — properties owned by local authorities as well as nonprofit housing associations — across the country that had installed some form of cladding.

An expanded version of this report appears on WSJ.com.

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The $1.5 trillion business tax change flying under the radar.</s>LONDON -- Britain's government said local officials across the country Sunday should urgently submit samples of exterior panels from apartment towers after authorities found that all samples tested so far have failed fire safety standards.

In London, officials trying to avoid another fire disaster after the fast-moving blaze killed at least people at Grenfell Tower sought Sunday to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe. They faced resistance as several families refused to budge.

The government has so far collected 34 samples of external cladding -- panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance -- and all failed a "combustibility test," Community Secretary Sajid Javid said. The national testing was ordered after a June 14 fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in London. The tower's cladding was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze.

The samples came from 17 different locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell and other buildings in the first place.

In northwest London, Camden Council ordered residents at four buildings that are part of a tower block known as Chalcots Estate to leave some 600 apartments late Friday as a precaution after fire inspectors found problems with the blocks' fire doors and gas pipes.

The council said residents must leave immediately because of those issues and because the towers were encased in similar cladding to the material used at Grenfell Tower.

Hundreds of residents face up to four weeks in temporary accommodations as workers try to upgrade the buildings' fire safety features. Around 20 families wanted to stay put, but council leader Georgia Gould said they must leave for the renovations to begin.

Sayed Meah, 34, who lives with his mother and wife, said he would not move until the company that helps care for his mother agrees to provide service at a new location.

He said he and other residents are determined to remain in their apartments until a legal notice is obtained or they are "dragged out by their fingernails."

Refurbishment of the Chalcots towers was overseen by Rydon, the same company involved in the recent renovation of the now-devastated Grenfell Tower.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan backed the Camden Council's decision to evacuate the apartment blocks.

"I think they've done the right thing. Look, you've got to err on the side of caution. You can't play Russian roulette with people's safety," Khan told Sky News.</s>Tests in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster have revealed that 60 high-rise buildings in 25 different areas of England are unsafe, the government has announced.

There are concerns over the cladding used on the buildings after reports that the materials used on the Kensington tower block, in which at least 79 people are believed to have died, caused the fire to get out of control.

The number rose from 34 tower blocks across 17 local authorities. The announcement came after Sajid Javid, the communities secretary, revealed all of the buildings that have so far submitted cladding samples have failed combustibility tests.

“We expect that authorities and landlords are very sensibly giving the highest priority to buildings with which they have most concern. But we should not be in the position where buildings have such cladding on them. How this occurred – and preventing this from happening again – is likely to be a key question for the public inquiry,” Javid said on Saturday.

The towers deemed unsafe so far are in Manchester, Portsmouth and Sunderland, as well as in Norwich, Doncaster, Stockton-on-Tees and Plymouth and in seven London boroughs. They are Barnet, Brent and Camden, as well as Hounslow, Islington, Lambeth and Wandsworth. A further 11 areas, accounting for 27 of the unsafe buildings, have yet to be named.

Sunderland and Camden – where an entire estate housing about 4,000 people was being evacuated over the weekend – share the greatest number, with five towers each.</s>A social housing provider is set to remove cladding from three of its tower blocks in Salford.

The move by Salix Homes comes after town hall bosses said they were planning to remove panelling from nine blocks managed for them by Pendleton Together, in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Salix has 17 high rise blocks in the city.

In a letter to residents bosses said a cladding sample taken from one of its buildings, Canon Hussey Court, had been identified as a ‘higher risk component’.

Work to remove ‘affected cladding’ will begin this week.

Canon Hussey Court, Arthur Millwood Court and Black Friar Court will all have cladding removed.

The move comes after a multi-million pound refurbishment programme on Salix blocks across the city was completed last year.

In a statement Salix said: “As a landlord, safety is our number one priority and we will do whatever it takes to ensure people are safe in our homes.

“Since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in London, We have been working with the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) to support the government’s programme to extract and test materials used on tower blocks across the country.

“We can confirm following early fire safety actions taken we have been able to detect that the cladding samples provided for Canon Hussey Court, Blackfriar Court and Arthur Millwood Court have been identified as having a higher risk component.

“Work will commence today (Monday) to remove the affected cladding and we are taking extra precautionary fire safety steps, following advice from GMFRS.”

Lee Sugden, chief executive at Salix Homes, said: “Our number one priority is the safety of all residents living in Salix Homes properties and we will continue to monitor the advice from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and work closely with GMFRS on any recommendations made.

“We have ordered the immediate removal of the affected panels on these three blocks and we expect work to start today.

“We have in the meantime added to our existing 24/7, CCTV security and response service by providing patrols of the affected blocks and strengthened safety arrangements until the panels are removed.”

Councils across Greater Manchester are supplying the Department for Communities and Local Government with samples of cladding for fire safety tests, which show whether core material is combustible.

Town halls with properties more than 59ft-high with aluminium composite material panelling must send off samples.

Cladding was removed from a residential block in Manchester - Village 135, a £20m development in Wythenshawe - last week.</s>Britain's government urged local officials across the country Sunday to urgently submit samples of tower block cladding after tests found that all samples tested so far have failed fire safety standards.

In London, officials tried Sunday to complete the evacuation of hundreds of apartments in four towers deemed unsafe, but faced resistance as several families refused to budge.

The government has collected 34 samples of external cladding — panels widely used to insulate buildings and improve their appearance — and all failed a "combustibility test," Community Secretary Sajid Javid said. The national testing was ordered after a June 14 fire engulfed Grenfell Tower in London, killing at least 79 people. The tower's cladding was believed to have rapidly spread that blaze.

The samples came from 17 different locations around the country, including London, Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth.

A public inquiry is due to determine how the unsafe cladding was allowed to be fitted onto Grenfell in the first place.</s>WORK to remove ‘fire risk’ cladding from two high rises continued over the weekend.

It came as Horatia House and Leamington House in Somers Town were named as two of 34 tower blocks across the country whose cladding had failed combustibility tests.

Portsmouth City Council announced on Friday that work to remove the cladding would begin immediately and the authority’s councillors and officers were on hand to reassure residents on the day about the blocks.

Cladding was seen being removed from both blocks over the course of the weekend, with appliances from Southsea fire station also coming to the scene to reassure residents of the potential fire risks.

The council said on Friday that no other blocks had been affected, but could not provide a time frame as to how long the work on the towers would last or how it would be paid for.

A spokesman for the Local Government Association said: ‘Anyone living in a high rise building can be reassured that their council will act on any advice from the fire service to ensure their safety.’

Residents are asked to attend a special fire safety information event tomorrow night at the New Theatre Royal to hear about the issues and express concerns.</s>Cladding from the first 60 tower blocks to be tested by the government have all failed fire safety tests.

Workers have moved in to remove cladding from buildings around the country after cladding on blocks in 25 different council areas failed government tests.

The new tests are understood to be more stringent than existing rules - prompting many to demand fire safety rules are made stricter.

There are 600 tower blocks with cladding around Britain, although only those with so-called 'aluminum composite' panels need to be tested. Councils are examining which have this type before sending samples off for testing.

Housing Minister Alok Sharma today called on councils to urgently submit samples for testing and to act now to protect residents.

He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: 'Certainly, some councils are acting very quickly. We want all of them to be acting urgently on this.

'People should not wait for the checks to come back from these (tests). They should act now, get the fire service in, check the buildings that they think may be affected, put in place mitigation measures if required, or, as in the case of Camden, if they need to evacuate, that needs to happen.'

But the government is being urged to review fire regulations now rather than wait for the Grenfell inquiry or more test results.

Jim Fitzpatrick, of the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety and Rescue Group, said: 'We don't need to await the public inquiry to say "oh, building regulations need to be reviewed". That work should be going on in tandem with the public inquiry'

Housing Minister Mr Sharma refused to be drawn on whether the cladding used on the Grenfell tower was illegal, despite repeated questions today.

Appearing on ITV's Good Morning Britain, Mr Sharma was asked at least five times whether the cladding was illegal or banned, telling viewers 'from what we've seen it would suggest that the material used was combustible'.

The building regulations, he said, were 'very clear' that that type of cladding was 'non-compliant' on buildings over 18 metres.

Asked if a builder putting up a tower block today would be allowed to use this type of cladding, Mr Sharma replied: 'The building regulations are very clear. Any building above 18 metres, this would be non-compliant.'

Pressed again on whether the Grenfell cladding was illegal, he replied: 'Well, you are not allowed to do it, it is non-compliant.

'The regulations are very clear on this point, and clearly the public inquiry has been set up to investigate precisely what happened and we will get to the bottom of this.'

He later assured insisted the Government was 'literally working around the clock' to test samples that were being sent in from across the country.

It comes after it emerged the insulation and narrow stairwell at Grenfell Tower could have proved just as deadly as the block's cladding.

Detective Chief Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the insulation at Grenfell combusted soon after the fire started, adding that it proved 'more flammable than the cladding'.

It has led to cries from those in fire safety over the lack of mandatory testing of insulating materials by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Up to 40,000 people from 34 tower blocks now face evacuation after cladding in 17 council authorities throughout England failed new fire tests.

The number of evacuations currently stands on 20,000, with about half of the 600 potentially-dangerous high rises had been tested by Friday evening.

The official death toll of the Grenfell Tower fire currently stands at 79, after a fridge fire broke out on the lower floors of the west London high rise earlier this month.

It comes as an investigation by the Sunday Times showed how the tower's stairwell was turned into a vertical tunnel of thick smoke, making it almost impassable.

As the only designated means of escape, the staircase should have provided a haven from the smoke, however toxic air 'stacked' inside the tower's narrow spaces.

The wider safety announcement came after Communities Secretary Sajid Javid revealed all of the buildings that have so far submitted cladding samples have failed combustibility tests.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) said Doncaster, Norwich, Stockton-on-Tees and Sunderland all had buildings that failed tests, while Manchester, Plymouth and Portsmouth have already been named.

Islington, Lambeth and Wandsworth joined Barnet, Brent, Camden and Hounslow on the growing list of London boroughs, while 11 other areas are yet to be named.

Meanwhile, residents remaining in four tower blocks evacuated over fire safety concerns in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster will be told they 'must leave'.

Tenant Mandy Ryan claiming a security guard tried to intimidate her as she took her dogs for a walk on Sunday morning.

Ms Ryan, who shares her 22nd-floor flat in Dorney with her son, said the whole experience of the evacuation so far was 'disruptive' and said she has encountered problems.

She said: 'I was bullied this morning trying to leave the building, he (the security guard) stood in front of the door and guys surrounded him and he said 'we need to know who you are'.'

She said she was told by the man, who she has not seen before, that she could not take her animals outside.

Using a different building exit, Ms Ryan added: 'I was so scared, he got so close to me - I could feel his breath on my face.

'We are not the villains here, we are the victims. We are not trying to impede any work whatsoever, we just want suitable accommodation.

'We are all scared, we are disrupted, we don't know how we are going to cope, cook, wash or anything at the moment.'

Sayed Meah, 34, who has lived in Burnham since he was born, said he is yet to leave his eighth-floor flat.

Mr Meah provides 24-hour care for his 78-year-old mother, who has had a stroke, with his wife.

Describing the feeling amongst other residents refusing to leave, he said they are 'fighting on', and telling each other they will not be going until a legal notice is obtained or they are 'dragged out by their fingernails'.

Asked whether he has had problems getting in and out of his building, Mr Meah said Saturday evening proved difficult, adding: 'After 10 o'clock they were saying no-one is allowed in.

'People were kicking the doors, one gentleman broke the glass and cracked it. Other residents had to call the police, saying they were being refused access to their own homes.'

Mr Meah said it was security guards and the fire services who were preventing people entering the high-rise, that he 'talked his way in' and was told to 'sneak around' to get inside by one of the officials.

'There was one lady crying in the foyer of the lift, and today they are letting people in and out with a register, I mean what is going on?' he said.

Rebecca Cody, 52, and Adam Booth, 47, live in Burnham, which she bought in 2004 and, as a leaseholder, paid £15,000 towards the cladding and refurbishment when it was undertaken.

The couple said white stickers with information on whether the flat is occupied and how many remain in the property have been stuck on the flat doors.

When asked about the security in the building, Mr Booth said: 'As soon as they come out of the lift they are waiting for you - asking who you are, which floor and number, where you are going.'

The council has said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe.

Refurbishment of the Chalcots Estate was overseen by Rydon, the company involved in the refit of Grenfell Tower, according to the Rydon website.

The ongoing effort to clear the Chalcots Estate in north London comes after the Government revealed all 34 high-rises that have so far submitted cladding samples have failed combustibility tests.

The buildings are located in 17 local authorities across the country, including Manchester, Plymouth, Portsmouth, and Camden, Barnet, Brent, and Hounslow, in London.

Communities Secretary Sajid Javid urged local authorities and housing associations to continue to submit samples 'as a matter of urgency'.

Some 3,000 Chalcots residents face weeks in temporary accommodation after Camden Council leader Georgia Gould said the authority took the 'extraordinary action' to clear 600 flats because 'we are really clear that those four blocks are not safe'.

London Fire Brigade inspecting officers identified concerns over the combination of external cladding, fire doors, gas pipes and insulation, she added.

But despite being urged to leave by officials, around 20 households had refused to vacate their homes, in Taplow, Burnham, Bray and Dorney blocks, by Saturday evening.

On Sunday, Ms Gould said: 'This morning council staff will conduct further door knocking to ask those who remain to leave, and issue another letter reiterating to residents who are still remaining in the Taplow, Bray, Dorney and Burnham blocks, that they must leave.

'By remaining in the blocks these residents risk delaying the work that is required and that we are undertaking to make these homes safe.

'It is not safe to remain in these blocks and our residents' safety will continue to be the council's number one priority.'

Nearly 200 offers of accommodation have been made to the displaced residents, most of which have been accepted, she added.

Ms Gould committed £100,000 of council funds to pay for food and essential items residents may need, with the council having already spent £500,000 on hotel rooms for residents.

The council said it could take two to four weeks for the four blocks to be made safe.

Refurbishment of the Chalcots Estate was overseen by Rydon, the company involved in the refit of Grenfell Tower, according to the Rydon website.

The site said the Chalcots project was a £66 million refurbishment which lasted 191 weeks.

The work included external thermal rain screen cladding on five towers, new aluminium thermally broken windows on five towers, and an overhaul of external roofs.

It added that 711 flats were modernised with new wiring, heating, kitchens and bathrooms.

Councils across Britain race to test their tower cladding Burnham residential tower on the Chalcots Estate, Camden, where cladding is being removed The cladding was tested this week and, although different to that used in Grenfell, was found to be made up of 'aluminium panels with a polyethylene core'. The council has since said it will seek legal advice and accused contractors of fitting flammable materials below the commissioned standard. It also pledged round-the-clock fire safety patrols on the estate's corridors. On Sunday a social housing provider in Liverpool announced it had decided to remove cladding from two of its high-rise blocks as a precaution, following Government tests. One Vision Housing said results showed 'certain elements of the cladding' on Cygnet House and Wren House in the Bootle area of the city, 'whilst meeting building regulations does not meet the latest DCLG test criteria'. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group said 78 panels were being removed from a small area of the Village 135 development. Wythenshawe Community Housing Group (WCHG) said: 'We can confirm following early fire safety actions taken we have been able to detect that our Village 135 scheme has been identified as having 78 feature panels which are located in a small area of the overall development, works to remove these panels will commence today.' Islington Council said cladding was to be removed from Braithwaite House, one of eight blocks tested, after it was found to have aluminium composite material. Test results from the other blocks, Harvist Estate and Brunswick Estate, are yet to be returned, a spokesman said. Councillor Diarmaid Ward said: 'Last night we received results of tests on cladding on the side of Braithwaite House, and they have confirmed the presence of Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). 'We're arranging to have the cladding, which is only on the sides of the building, removed as soon as we possibly can by a specialist contractor. Wandsworth Council has announced that external cladding on Castlemaine Tower in Battersea does not meet current fire safety standards and would be removed as quickly as possible. Cladding different but 'capping' under windowsills is the same, so they were urgently checked and found to be combustible. Statement from St Leger Homes: 'The cladding system we have used in Doncaster is an External Wall Insulation (EWI) Render System which is not the same as was used at Grenfell Tower. The core cladding system we have used is different to that used in Grenfell Tower. 'However, we are aware that a small capping detail under the windows of Silverwood House is similar to that used on Grenfell Tower. Whilst this minor capping work (not the window frames or external cladding) is a different make and supplier to that used in London, we are seeking expert advice and ensuring that extensive further testing is urgently undertaken.' There is one high-rise building in Lambeth that was tested and it was found to contain combustible materials. Cladding has been taken down from two tower blocks in Portsmouth after tests found it to be a fire risk. The city council said it was removing panels from Horatia House and Leamington House as a 'precautionary measure' but claimed the blocks were still safe for residents to stay in. One building was tested for combustibility and was found to contain hazardous material. Three tower blocks at Kennedy Gardens in Billingham, Stockton-on-Tees, were found to be clad in combustible material. Social housing landlords Thirteen Group confirmed the results and said the substance would be removed from Monday morning, with residents still safe to stay inside for now. Barnet Homes, the council-owned company which runs 24 high-rise blocks in the borough, reviewed safety in 10 blocks, with three found to contain combustible material. Granville Point, Harpenmead Point and Templemead point were all reclad in 2012 and have similar panels to Grenfell Tower. They were inspected on Monday and the insulation materials were found to be non-combustible. But three of the other seven blocks have different cladding to Grenfell and did fail tests after the 'precautionary' inspections. Only one of the borough's 35 high-rise buildings - Clements Court - has the cladding of the type that was on Grenfell and it has failed the safety test. Speaking before the confirmation, a council spokesman said: 'We have now taken a sample of this cladding and submitted it to the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the DCLG as part of its national inspection exercise, which will examine the detail composition of the outer ACM aluminium cladding. 'Behind the cladding, however, the system is insulated with a 'rockwool' material which is a non-combustible product, and the installation of the system is solely external and did not interfere with the interior of the building.' The high-rise building to fail a safety test in Norwich is understood to be Brennan Bank. It is owned by Broadland Housing Association, which said it was acting quickly to ensure tenants were safe. In a statement on its website, the firm said: 'Following testing by the Building Research Establishment on Friday 23 June, a sample of cladding from Broadland Housing's Brennan Bank on Geoffrey Watling Way was found to be a current cause for concern in high-rise buildings, although it compares with building regulations and has been used in accordance with the approved plans. 'Although Broadland Housing only has medium-rise properties (of six storeys or fewer), it immediately called an review meeting. 'This was held at its offices on Saturday, June 24 with representatives from Broadland Housing, Norwich City Council, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, developer Taylor Wimpey and managing agents of the adjacent blocks. 'The review meeting discussed the safety implications of the cladding and reviewed the fire risk assessments for all the blocks in question. 'The review concluded that the risks posed by the cladding can be mitigated by remedial action in the short term.' Three blocks in Plymouth are set to have cladding removed after it was found to be combustible. According to the Plymouth Herald, the project could take two months to complete and cost up to £4million. Scaffolding will soon be erected the buildings with contractors preparing to remove and replace panels made of aluminium coated with polyethylene. Five tower blocks in the St Peter's area of the city have had cladding ripped out as a precautionary measure, and tests have since confirmed the material was combustible. Work has begun to remove cladding on nine high-rise blocks in Pendleton, the City Mayor of Salford has said. Residents were told on Friday that aluminium composite cladding would be removed in advance of government combustibility test results. The results of the tests have not yet been made public but cladding is being removed from Thorn Court. Cladding will also be removed from Beech Court, Whitebeam Court, Malus Court, Salix Court, Spruce Court, Holm Court, Hornbeam Court and Plane Court, Salford City Council said. Tenants will not need to move out while the work takes place on the blocks which are managed by Pendleton Together. Mayor Paul Dennett said: 'I assured local residents on Friday that their safety came first and that work would begin as quickly as possible. 'I am pleased to confirm that contractors have started the works. 'This is the right thing to do. I said once we had made the decision we would get on with removing the cladding. We haven't waited around and we're getting on with it straight away.' Mr Dennett added: 'Additional fire safety measures put in place by Pendleton Together will remain until the cladding is removed. 'This includes the new fire evacuation procedures, extra support from local housing staff and 24/7 patrols on each block. 'We will also continue to work with Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service to ensure our housing continues to meet fire safety standards, and we will respond to any recommendations that emerge from the Grenfell Tower investigation.' Three of the borough's 88 tall buildings have so-called ACM cladding which could be a fire risk. The cladding on these three buildings is now being tested. A spokesman for the council said: 'Once the results are known, we will take whatever action is necessary to ensure our residents are safe. Rivers Apartments in Tottenham, north London, where a review is being carried out of the cladding 'We have already written to tenants and leaseholders in the three blocks explaining what is going on and will keep them informed of all developments.' The London Borough of Haringey owns 54 blocks over six storeys high. None of our blocks have the Reynobond aluminium cladding system that was used on Grenfell Tower. Rivers Apartments, a 22-storey block owned by a Housing Association, is being tested over fears it has the same cladding as Grenfell Tower. The council has eight blocks in its borough - the highest of which is 16 storeys - and has pledged to undergo a 'comprehensive review of fire safety'. Two blocks have cladding but using different materials than what was used in Grenfell. Harley Facades, who refurbished Grenfell Tower, supplied the over-cladding at six tower blocks on the Little Venice estate, but the type of cladding used is different, with non-flammable insulation. As a precaution, urgent checks are being carried out on the cladding system and the way it was installed. The local authority has visited all 41 of its tower blocks to review their fire evacuation plans. The council has no tower blocks which are higher than 14 storeys. Inspections are being carried out on the other blocks they have in the borough. There are four blocks in the borough which have cladding, but the council said it is not the same type as used on Grenfell Tower. 16 cladded blocks have been found not to have been clad with the same materials as Grenfell Tower. However, they are being tested as a precaution. The council said that none of the 105 high-rise buildings in Greenwich are clad in the same way as Grenfell Tower. Grenfell's fire has led to councils across the UK testing if their cladding is dangerous The council owns three tower blocks which have cladding, but the materials used are different to Grenfell Tower. The council has two 15-storey blocks which have both been recently over-clad with fire resistant cladding. Your Homes Newcastle, which manages 38 high rise blocks on behalf of the Newcastle City Council, has reassured tenants that the type of cladding used on the Grenfell Tower has not been used on any of its buildings. The council said it is still reviewing building regulation records for existing high rise residential buildings over 18m in height. They said the priority was 'to identify buildings which have been retrofitted with external cladding and to check if the cladding specified is 'aluminium composite material'.' The council said there are 22 blocks with cladding but none are made from flammable material They have 13 blocks, none of which use aluminium cladding Council said it is still investigating whether privately owned properties have the cladding – the council does not have any housing stock itself There is only one block, but it has no external cladding There is only one council block, owned by social housing provide 13. Investigations are taking place to see what the situation is with the cladding None of the 2 high rise blocks – managed by company WDH - are clad with the aluminium panels. Statement said: 'Only five have had external wall insulation, which is not a cosmetic treatment and is fixed directly to the super structure, rendered with no air gap, is non-combustible and we have the relevant manufacturer's guarantees confirming the safety of all products used.'
External cladding samples from 60 high-rise apartment towers, from 25 different areas of the country, fail fire-resistance testing. Evacuation of thousands of apartments is underway as workers start to remove the deficient covering.