A VETERAN Bewdley firefighter has spoken of the horrors he was confronted with after he was called in to support residents following the Grenfell Tower fire.

Mel Turbutt, who was a firefighter for 30 years and is now a British Red Cross emergency response volunteer, has been supporting at a community assistance centre following the devastating fire on June 14.

Emergency response volunteers from the Red Cross have been providing emotional support and distributing clothing, toiletries, food and water to the residents since the early hours of June 14 - and Mr Turbutt, 60, has been supporting those at the community assistance centre since Monday (June 19).

He said: "I have dealt with high rise fires before. I have seen three or four blackened windows and marks on the wall.

"But this looks shocking.

"Looking at it makes me feel sick."

He added: "My role has been to work alongside other Red Cross volunteers, the council, emergency services and the NHS to make sure that anyone who needs support receives it.

"When people arrive at the centre, I sign them in and take them into the centre to colleagues who can provide the specialist support they need.

"It has been tough in the centre, but the residents and their families are lovely, friendly people.

"The community is strong and positive."

Red Cross volunteers from the Midlands are deployed at the community assistance centre and will be on standby as long as they are needed.

Daniel Collins, senior emergency response officer for the British Red Cross in Central England, said: "Responding to emergencies is at the heart of what the British Red Cross does here in the UK.

"We will continue to offer practical and emotional support for as long as we are needed."

To donate to the British Red Cross London Fire Relief Fund and help people who have been injured, bereaved or left homeless, visit redcross.org.uk/londonfire or call 0300 023 0827.