MANSLAUGHTER charges are being considered by detectives investigating the Grenfell Tower fire as it emerged the structure had failed fire safety tests.

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Fiona McCormack said a faulty fridge started the inferno which has killed at least 79 people.

Cladding and insulation encasing the building did not pass any fire-safety tests, she added, increasing concern the 24-storey block's facade accelerated the blaze's spread.

CEP Architectural Facades, owned by Worcester-based Omnis Exteriors, fabricated the panels and windows for Grenfell Tower.

It has said that Reynobond PE, the material used in the components at the specification of the subcontractor, is not banned in the UK and that investigators should focus on the whole system, not individual components.

As police continue to unpick the roots of the disaster today, Ms McCormack said a string of criminal offences were now being considered.

Documents and materials had been seized from a "number of organisations", she added.

She said: "We are looking at every criminal offence from manslaughter onwards, we are looking at every health and safety and fire safety offences and we are reviewing every company at the moment involved in the building and refurbishment of Grenfell Tower."

A Hotpoint FF175BP model was found to have been the fridge at the centre of the tragedy and followed witness reports from June 14 that one resident claimed his appliance was responsible.

Tests on the building's material as part of the police investigation were "small scale", the officer said, but added: "All I can say at the moment is they (tiles and insulation) don't pass any safety tests.

"What we are being told at the moment by the Building Research Establishment is that the cladding and insulation failed all safety tests."

The revelation comes as a nationwide hunt for high-rise buildings with flammable cladding continues, with thousands of people finding their homes were potentially dangerous

The Government said at least 11 buildings across eight local authority areas in England were found to have flammable cladding.

Towers in Camden, Manchester and Plymouth are among the at-risk buildings, Communities and Local Government Secretary Sajid Javid said in a letter to MPs.

Hundreds of further buildings are being tested by the Government to see if they pose a fire threat.

In its statement, issued on Monday, CEP Architectural Facades said: "CEP’s role was limited to fulfilling the order for components to the specification, design and choice of material determined by the design and build contracting team.

"Investigators should focus on the whole system including insulation materials, fire barriers, fixings and railings. They should also look at the overall design and quality of installation and also at whether an assessment on the whole system was carried out."