Hundreds of tower blocks across the UK could be covered in cladding similar to Grenfell Tower, it has been revealed.

Downing Street says that an estimated 600 high-rise buildings in England alone are covered in similar cladding to the west London block that went up in flames last week, killing at least 79 people. As a result, thousands of lives could be in danger if a fire was to start in one of these buildings.

Combustible cladding has been definitively identified on at least three other tower blocks across the UK, the Guardian reports.

Flammable panelling on the outside of Grenfell Tower in North Kensington is thought to have helped spread the fire across the building’s exterior, trapping dozens of people inside in the early hours of 14 June.

A Number 10 spokeswoman confirmed that the potentially dangerous cladding had been found on three buildings. She added that local councils’ estimates suggested that the actual number of at-risk blocks was much higher.

“In terms of how many buildings and how many homes have this type of cladding, the estimate provided to us by councils is that there are approximately 600 high-rise buildings with similar cladding,” she said.

Theresa May says 600 tower blocks have similar ‘combustible’ cladding to Grenfell Tower