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Theresa May is prepared to order the mass evacuation of any tower block that is deemed to be unsafe in the wake of the Grenfell disaster, according to reports.

Government sources say the Prime Minister will not hesitate to act after at least 30 people were killed and dozens left injured in the small hours of Wednesday.

It comes amid a fierce backlash against Mrs May's response to the tragedy - she was branded a "coward" by an angry crowd as she visited the scene for a second time today and was whisked away by police.

She announced a £5million emergency fund to help families left homeless by the fire and a review of safety at 4,000 old tower blocks across the country that house 100,000 people.

Grenfell Tower was reduced to a shell by the deadly inferno and its lack of sprinklers and highly flammable wall cladding are being blamed for the tragedy.

(Image: Oxford/PA Wire)

(Image: Getty Images Europe)

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Drastic measures to prevent a repeat of the tragedy include plans to consider temporarily evacuating any tower blocks that feature the same potentially deadly combination, the Daily Telegraph reported .

Tory MP Bob Blackman said: “Get them out now. Let’s not put anyone else at risk. I don’t think it’s right that people should continue living in these buildings.

(Image: Daily Mirror) (Image: Daily Mirror)

“We now know that if you have the same set of circumstances and we have a tower block with a similar design, or cladding of a similar type, it’s just a recipe for disaster.

“There has to be an emergency programme of establishing how many tower blocks there are and people have to be vacated."

Gavin Barwell, the ex-housing minister who last week became Theresa May's new chief of staff, was accused of "sitting on" a report that warned high-rise blocks like Grenfell Tower were vulnerable to fire four years ago.

Mr Barwell promised to review part B of the Building Regulations 2010, which relate to fire safety, but the review never materialised.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

A coroner’s investigation into the blaze at Lakanal House in South London in 2009, which claimed six lives, found panels on the exterior of the block had not provided the required fire resistance and insufficient fire risk assessments had been made.

The coroner made a series of recommendation following the tragedy, but while some have been taken up, a full review of building regulations has yet to take place.

Work and Pensions Secretary David Gauke tonight defended the Government, telling Sky News: "In terms of the 2009 fire, there was a coroner's report in 2013.

"We have responded to all those recommendations but there's work that needs to be done in terms of simplifying fire regulations.

"There's still more work to be done but that's a complicated area of work."