At least 60 firms involved in Grenfell Tower refurb

The police have confirmed that more than 60 companies and organisations were involved in the recent refurbishment of Grenfell Tower in north London, which was destroyed in a fire earlier this month.

In a statement, Detective Chief Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the police were “continuing to seize material on a daily basis and the number of companies and organisations that we know so far to have played a role in the refurbishment alone is over 60”.

She added: “Specialist experts BRE are working on a flat-by-flat assessment of every safety feature so we can provide individual accounts to families, the public inquiry and my investigation. This is so we can be clear on the state of each flat and any specific fire safety features as well as every part of the building.”

The police have declined to name firms involved in the refurbishment work.

The government has announced a public inquiry into the fire, which according to official figures has so far claimed the lives of 80 people, although this is expected to rise as the building is forensically searched.

Retired judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick will head the inquiry into the blaze, which the Prime Minister Theresa May has said will “leave no stone unturned”.

Meanwhile trade union Unite has demanded an overhaul of building regulations; an end to what it labelled “attacks on existing regulations”, and the implementation of a licensing regime across the industry.

Unite national officer for construction Bernard McAulay said the union was calling on “all politicians of all parties to take responsibility and act in the best interests of the industry, workforce, tenants and the public.

“We now need to have a major sea change in the way that we view regulations. Rather than a knee jerk reaction to cutting red tape we should be educating people to understand that properly enforced laws and building regulations are essential in ensuring safety.

“In particular, we need to professionalise the construction industry by introducing a licensing and company registration system so only fully accredited workers and bona fide construction companies can undertake construction work on all future public sector contracts, especially involving safety-critical work.”