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CLADDING on tower blocks is being ripped down across Britain amid fears it could contribute towards another deadly Grenfell-like fire.

Councils across the country have been testing materials on their own buildings - here's what you need to know about the controversial building decor dubbed a "silent killer".

What is cladding and why is it used?

Cladding is a material which is wrapped around the outside of a building.

It is used to improve appearance and energy efficiency.

Colourful green and blue panels designed to improve insulation and soften the look of the brutalist concrete block were fitted to Grenfell Tower in Kensington, West London, as part of a £9million refurb completed in May 2017.

Dense foam boards coated in zinc rainproof sheets were spaced 30mm apart across the 24-storey building, which housed 120 flats and at least 500 residents.

A public inquiry which has now opened will look at the material and the role it played in the fire.

Was the cladding responsible for spreading the deadly Grenfell fire so quickly?

Just two months before the Grenfell fire London Fire Brigade warned all 33 councils in the capital about the risks of cladding on tower blocks.

The disastrous fire at the 24-storey block was started by a Hotpoint fridge freezer on the fourth floor.

Experts said the composite foam sandwich panels helped spread the fire quickly from the lower floors all the way up the block.

The material used in the cladding on Grenfell was the cheaper, more flammable version of the two available options, an investigation of the supply chain by The Guardian has claimed.

Fireproof cladding initially planned for Grenfell was reportedly downgraded so the council could save money.

Leaked emails seen by The Times reportedly show that Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO), who managed the building on the council's behalf, saved £293,000 by downgrading the material used to clad the 1970s tower.

Arnold Tarling, 55, of the Association of Specialist Fire Protection, said the foam "went up like matchsticks".

And he said the waterproof zinc coating made it even harder for firefighters to douse the blaze.

He added: "The cladding looks lovely, it's cheap, complies with regulations and gives the building a high environmental rating. But it's a silent killer."

Witnesses to the blaze on June 14, which resulted in dozens of deaths, described how the material "went up like paper".

It has now been claimed the "deathtrap" cladding is banned in America - and a fireproof version could have cost just £5,000 more.

And the cladding's manufacturers clearly state in its brochure that it should not be used on a building above a height of ten metres (32ft), according to the Express.

Is similar cladding used on other buildings in the UK?

The number of deadly tower blocks with combustible cladding similar to Grenfell Tower is 208, according to the government.

All of those blocks tested so far have failed fire safety checks.

Five tower blocks in Camden were evacuated as emergency safety work was carried out by the council, following the Grenfell Tower blaze.

Cladding has been ripped from other towers in areas including Plymouth, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, Portsmouth and Sunderland.

Fears were also raised that the same flammable cladding used on Grenfell Tower could be attached to UK hospitals, schools and hotels.

Ryhl High School in Denbighshire was closed after the county council found cladding on the building was made by the same company who produced that used on the tower block in London.

Concerns were also raised about cladding on three Premier Inns in Maidenhead, Brentford and Tottenham, because they did not appear to comply with government guidance for tall buildings.

Cladding like that used on Grenfell Tower has also been found at up to 30 NHS trusts.

Communities secretary Sajid Javid has slammed the slow progress of some authorities and landlords and said ministers will force them to take action if they do not ensure flats are safe.

He also said he was considering naming and shaming those councils and housing associations who had failed to provide samples for testing.

What are the new cladding fire tests?

The BBC has reported that 60 tower blocks have failed new tests carried on both cladding and insulation.

In depth tests checked the cladding in combination with the foam insulation used in Grenfell.

Shockingly, the death trap combination was found in at least 60 other blocks - only nine, based in Salford, have been identified so far.

The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) will publish its full findings of the "whole system fire test" on July 28, the BBC says.

Tests were conducted by the Building Research Establishment near Watford and involved setting a fire underneath a mock up of the insulation system used at Grenfell.

Salford had already begun removing cladding, and said they had already expected the nine towers to fail.

They were built in the 1960s and were re-clad recently with shiny panels and insulation to cut energy bills.

On August 3 DCLG said over 100 buildings have a cladding system which has failed the latest round of tests.

Overall, 111 high-rise blocks use a combination of material which failed the second of six new tests rolled out in the wake of Grenfell.

What has the contractor who carried out the cladding work at Grenfell Tower said?

According to planning documents, sub-contractors Harley were paid £2.6million to oversee the cladding installation.

A spokesman for Harley Facades told The Sun they worked on the refurb and installation of exterior cladding.

They said: "The Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) panels are a commonly used product in the refurbishment industry.

"Harley Facades Limited do not manufacture these panels."

The renovation works at Grenfell Towers were reportedly inspected 16 TIMES by Kensington and Chelsea council, whose chief executive has now resigned.

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What is cladding, why was it used on Grenfell Tower and how many tower blocks have the combustible material?

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CLADDING on tower blocks is being ripped down across Britain amid fears it could contribute towards another deadly Grenfell-like fire. Councils across the country have been testing materials on their own buildings - here's what you need to know about the controversial building decor dubbed a "silent killer".

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Cladding is a material which is wrapped around the outside of a building.

It is used to improve appearance and energy efficiency.

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-gap between cladding and insulation should be at standard distance

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- Composite foam sandwich panels helped spread the fire quickly.

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- More flammable version.

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Cladding of the structure of the building

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- Cheap cladding materials.