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. 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 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 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. 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. 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'. “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.
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.