Every high-rise tested for fire safety in UK has failed, with 60 towers covered in flammable cladding

The fallout from London’s devastating tower block blaze continued with the government announcing that all 60 high-rises tested for fire safety so far have failed the tests, as an insurance body said they had warned officials of the fire risks.

The massive operation to test tower blocks follows the Grenfell Tower inferno earlier this month that is presumed to have killed 79 people after it spread at shocking speed.

Suspicion has fallen on the cladding installed on the outside of Grenfell and urgent checks have found such material used on 60 other residential buildings has failed fire tests.

“All landlords and fire and rescue services for these local authorities have been alerted to the results and we are in touch with all of them to support and monitor follow-up action,” said local government minister Sajid Javid on Sunday.

The new figure is a significant jump from the 34 high-rise buildings in England deemed unsafe by the government on Saturday. Every building whose external cladding has been tested for non-flammability has so far failed.

While many people have been able to stay in their homes despite the fire risk, thousands of residents from 650 flats in north London were evacuated on Saturday.