Cladding on 60 high-rise properties across the UK has failed fire safety tests, with 540 buildings still to be tested.

The probe follows the devastating Grenfell Tower blaze in North Kensington, London, which has so far claimed the lives of 79 people.

The death toll from the fire – which was started by a faulty refrigerator in a fourth-floor apartment and spread up the exterior via flammable cladding – is expected to rise.

Four tower blocks on the Chalcots Estate in Camden have been evacuated, although some residents have refused to leave.

The Association of British Insurers says it had been calling since 2009 for a government review into building fire safety regulations and warned in May that combustible external cladding on tower blocks could cause fire to spread.

Reports suggest the Grenfell disaster could prompt the biggest single building insurance payout in European history, with Norwegian insurer Protector Forsikring facing a bill of more than $1 billion.

The Grenfell disaster will be the subject of a full public inquiry, and police are considering manslaughter charges.

See OTHER STORY.

See ANALYSIS.