Combustible cladding found on seven towers after Grenfell fire

Tests have revealed that at least seven tower blocks across England are fitted with combustible cladding.

Theresa May said local authorities and fire services are "taking all possible steps" to ensure the towers are safe, while hundreds more buildings are due for checks.

Details of at-risk structures will be revealed after residents are informed, the Department for Communities and Local Government says.

Cladding on the outside of Grenfell Tower is suspected to have hastened the spread of the blaze which killed at least 79 people.

Earlier, Downing Street said 600 buildings in England had "similar cladding", but it was later confirmed that there are 600 high rises with any form of cladding.

The Government is performing tests on 100 tower blocks a day, with results coming back "within hours", Mrs May said.

A Number 10 spokeswoman said residents of affected buildings could be rehomed if the blocks are found to be unsafe after further tests.

:: Tower fire released deadly hydrogen cyanide

Camden Council has said it will remove cladding from four towers on its Chalcots Estate in north London after tests raised concerns about its safety.

Council leader Georgia Gould told Sky News the authority believed fireproof panels were installed during a 2006 refurbishment, but that proved "not to be the case".

Until the cladding is removed, council staff will carry out round-the-clock fire safety patrols on the estate’s corridors.

The company in charge of fitting the cladding to the affected Camden towers oversaw the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, according to its website.

In a statement to the Commons, Theresa May said that the chair of the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower disaster will produce an interim report "as soon as possible".

Former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman said the results of cladding tests were "chilling" and called on the Prime Minister to "get a grip on this personally".

:: Inquiry must not fail victims, firefighters warn MPs

The Grenfell Tower disaster would have been avoided if the Government had acted on the findings of an inquest into the deaths of six people in the 2009 Lakanal House fire, Ms Harman added.

Kensington MP Emma Dent Coad told Mrs May residents in her constituency had been left "traumatised and frightened" after the Grenfell fire.

Earlier, the chief executive of Kensington and Chelsea Council resigned following criticism of the authority’s reaction to the tragedy.

:: Grenfell Tower residents promised fire-resistant cladding in 2012

Nicholas Holgate said Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid had "required the leader of the council to seek my resignation".

As of midday on Thursday, just under £1m of Government funding had been distributed to families affected by the blaze.

The Grenfell Response Team denied claims victims were being given emergency accommodation in tower blocks, adding that 140 hotel placements have been made for people living in Grenfell Tower and Grenfell Walk.

On Wednesday, Mr Javid announced 68 new social housing units at a luxury development in Kensington had been acquired for victims.

(c) Sky News 2017: Combustible cladding found on seven towers after Grenfell fire