104-425: Marsh Farm is a suburb of Luton , Bedfordshire , England, near to Leagrave and Limbury , mainly of council and social housing . The area is bounded by the edge of Luton to the north, Bramingham Road to the south, Spinney Wood and the path from the wood to the edge of Luton to the west, and Great Bramingham wood to the east. The estate takes its name from the farm that owned much of the land that eventually became
208-508: A unitary authority , performing all local government functions in the borough. Luton Town Football Club , nicknamed the Hatters , due to the town's connection to hatmaking, has had several spells in the top flight of the English league as well as a Football League Cup triumph in 1988 . They play at Kenilworth Road , their home since 1905 ; planning permission for a new larger stadium
312-534: A 22.2% increase compared with 2001. In 2021, 52,566 residents (23% of the total) were aged under 16, 146,330 (65%) were aged 16 to 64, and 26,363 (12%) were aged 65 or over. Local inhabitants are known as Lutonians . Luton has seen several waves of immigration. In the early part of the 20th century, migrants from Ireland and Scotland came to the town. These were followed by South Asian and Afro-Caribbean immigrants. More recently immigrants from European countries such as Albania have made Luton their home. As
416-608: A catastrophic event will expose the ineptitude and incompetence of [KCTMO]", adding, "[We] predict that it won't be long before the words of this blog come back to haunt the KCTMO management and we will do everything in our power to ensure that those in authority know how long and how appallingly our landlord has ignored their responsibility to ensure the health and safety of their tenants and leaseholders. They can't say that they haven't been warned!" The Grenfell Tower Leaseholders' Association had also raised concerns about exposed gas pipes in
520-411: A communal lobby and six dwellings, with ten bedrooms among them. The lower four storeys were originally used for non-residential purposes. Later, two lower floors were converted to residential use, bringing the total to 129 apartments, housing up to 600 people. The original lead architect for the building, Nigel Whitbread, said in 2016 that the tower had been designed with attention to strength following
624-416: A conduit into the rainscreen cavity, which was faced with 150 mm-thick (5.9-inch) combustible polyisocyanurate rigid board insulation and clad in aluminium composite cladding panels, which included a 2 mm (0.079-inch) highly combustible polyethylene filler to bond each panel face together. As is typical in rainscreen cladding systems, a ventilated cavity between the insulation board and rear of
728-410: A fire investigation unit and two command vehicles. Crew manager (CM) Christopher Secrett at the floor 4 bridgehead and watch manager (WM) Michael Dowden outside had conducted a planning conversation around 01:06. Dowden had noticed the fire breaching the window and offered to spray it with a covering water jet but Secrett was fearful that the resulting steam would scald the two firefighters about to enter
832-444: A large building without knowing whether it was in danger of structural collapse. It was not until the following afternoon that structural engineers were able to assess the structure and determine that it was not in danger of collapse. By 02:20, the level of smoke in the stairwell constituted a threat to life, although some survivors did escape beyond then. At 02:47 the "stay put" policy, advising those residents in areas unaffected by
936-637: A marketplace that took place on Thursdays and Saturdays; it was opposite Marsh Farm Futures House, a former factory-turned local community centre. Marsh Farm is well connected by bus with regular services to Luton Town Centre. The estate benefits from the M1 as well as connections to the A6. Luton Airport is within 7 miles. Leagrave railway station is a 20-minute walk from Marsh Farm and there are frequent trains to Luton, St Albans , Bedford , London, Brighton and Sevenoaks. Arriva run their 24, 25 and 27 services through
1040-492: A reply. In 2013 the council threatened one of the bloggers with legal action, saying that their posts amounted to "defamation and harassment". Two women living in Grenfell Tower, Mariem Elgwahry and Nadia Choucair, were threatened with legal action by KCTMO after they campaigned for improved fire safety. They later died in the fire, at the ages of 27 and 34. In January 2016, GAG warned that people might be trapped in
1144-516: A result of this Luton has a diverse ethnic mix, with a significant population of Asian descent, mainly Pakistani (41,143 residents, 18.3%) and Bangladeshi (20,630, 9.2%). People in Asian ethnic groups accounted for 86% of Luton's Muslim population in 2021. As of the 2021 census, the White British (White English, Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish) population of Luton comprised less than
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#17327808898701248-538: A second aerial platform. Two minutes later, pumps were made 20 and two more fire rescue units were mobilised, and pumps were made up to 25 at 01:35, also triggering the dispatch of an assistant commissioner. Dany Cotton , the commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, was also called out and began driving to the scene from her home in Kent . The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) were called at 01:24 to manage
1352-480: A selfish point of view", his company's preference was to use cheaper aluminium composite material. Two types of cladding were used: Arconic 's Reynobond PE, which consists of two coil-coated aluminium sheets that are fusion bonded to both sides of a polyethylene core; and Reynolux aluminium sheets. Beneath these, and fixed to the outside of the walls of the flats, was Celotex RS5000 PIR thermal insulation . An alternative cladding with better fire resistance
1456-400: A separate parish, now forming part of Central Bedfordshire . Luton was made a county borough in 1964, making it independent from Bedfordshire County Council . It was redesignated as a non-metropolitan district in 1974, making it once more subordinate to the county council. In 1997 the borough council was made a unitary authority, regaining its independence from the county council (which
1560-639: A similar elevation range from −17.0 °C (1.4 °F) in December 1981 and −16.7 °C (1.9 °F) in January 1963 to 36.6 °C (97.9 °F) in July 2019 and 33.8 °C (92.8 °F) in August 1990 and July 2006. Records for Rothamsted date back to 1901. The 2021 United Kingdom census showed that the borough had a population of 225,262, a 10.9% increase from the previous census in 2011 and
1664-472: A third of the total (31.8%), the twelfth lowest proportion out of 318 local authorities in England and Wales and the second lowest (after Slough ) outside of London. Overall, 45.2% of Luton's population in 2021 was White (including non-British White people), down from 54.7% in 2011. In 2011 81% of the population of Luton defined themselves as British. At the 2021 census, the religious affiliation of Luton
1768-574: Is an English country house , estate and Grade I listed building originally designed by Scottish architect Robert Adam but later transformed to the designs of Robert Smirke . Luton is believed to have been founded by the Anglo-Saxons sometime in the 6th century. Its name first appears in the 8th century as Lygetun , meaning "town on the River Lea". The Domesday Book records Luton as Loitone and as Lintone . Agriculture dominated
1872-577: Is just one tier of local government covering Luton: Luton Borough Council , which has been a unitary authority since 1997, being a district council which also performs the functions of a county council . There are no civil parishes in the borough. The borough remains part of the ceremonial county of Bedfordshire . As of the 2024 UK general election , Luton is represented in Parliament by Sarah Owen who holds Luton North and Rachel Hopkins who holds Luton South , both for Labour . Luton
1976-532: Is on the River Lea , 32 miles (50 km) north-west of London , 18 miles (29 km) north-west of Hertford , 20 miles (32 km) south of Bedford and 23 miles (37 km) south-east of Milton Keynes . The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settlement on the river, from which Luton derives its name. Luton is recorded in the Domesday Book as Loitone and Lintone . One of
2080-669: Is registered with Forward in Faith and is Anglo-Catholic in its theology and worship. The Roman Catholic Church of The Holy Family is located off Northwell Drive and is one of the largest parishes in the Diocese of Northampton . During the season of Lent both Churches join in the Stations of the Cross . Marsh Farm made national news in July 1995 when the social problems boiled over into three days of rioting. Although local police received
2184-524: Is represented by Cllr Amy Nicholls ( Labour ), Cllr Rob Roche ( Labour ) and Cllr Babatunde Ajisola ( Labour ). The ward forms part of the parliamentary constituency of Luton North and the MP is Sarah Owen (Labour). Luton Luton ( / ˈ l uː t ən / ) is a town and borough in Bedfordshire , England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton
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#17327808898702288-648: Is traditionally the emblem of industry and the hive represents the straw plaiting industry for which Luton was famous. The rose is from the arms of the Napier family, whereas the thistle is a symbol for Scotland . An alternative suggestion is that the rose was a national emblem, and the thistle represents the Marquess of Bute , who formerly owned the Manor of Luton Hoo. The Local Government Act 1894 directed that parishes could no longer straddle borough boundaries, and so
2392-546: The City and other parts of the country via rail and major roads such as the M1 (which serves the town from junctions 10 and 11) and the A6 . The town has three railway stations: Luton , Leagrave and Luton Airport Parkway that are served by East Midlands Railway and Thameslink services. Luton is also home to London Luton Airport , one of the major feeder airports for London and
2496-488: The London Fire Brigade (LFB) warned all 33 London councils to review the use of panels and "take appropriate action to mitigate the fire risk". The fire started in the early hours of Wednesday 14 June 2017 at around 00:50 BST ( UTC+1 ), when a fridge-freezer caught fire in flat 16, on the fourth floor. The flat's resident, Behailu Kebede, was awoken by a smoke alarm. After discovering smoke coming from
2600-550: The London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority served a fire deficiency notice, listing many fire safety issues at Grenfell Tower that required action from KCTMO by May 2017. Areas of concern identified included fire doors, the smoke venting system and the firefighters' lift controls. One of the earliest fires that involved cladding materials was the 1973 Summerland disaster on the Isle of Man , which caused 50 deaths. Part of
2704-570: The M1 and the A6 ) and a major rail-link being constructed through the town. Luton has a temperate marine climate , like much of the British Isles , with generally light precipitation throughout the year. The weather is very changeable from day to day and the warming influence of the Gulf Stream makes the region mild for its latitude . The average total annual rainfall is 698 mm (27.5 in) with rain falling on 117 days of
2808-522: The United Kingdom cladding crisis . The Grenfell Tower Inquiry began on 14 September 2017 to investigate the causes of the fire and other related issues. Findings from the first report of the inquiry were released in October 2019 and addressed the events of the night. It affirmed that the building's exterior did not comply with regulations and was the central reason why the fire spread, and that
2912-821: The University of Bedfordshire . A large campus of the university is in Luton town centre, with a smaller campus based on the edge of town in Putteridge Bury , an old Victorian manor house. The other campuses of the university are located in Bedford , Milton Keynes and Aylesbury . Grenfell Tower fire On 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington , West London , England, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours. Seventy people died at
3016-435: The dry riser . They first entered flat 16 at 01:07. It was a further seven minutes before they began tackling the kitchen blaze. At approximately 01:08, the fire began to penetrate the window frame. Within a few minutes, the surrounding cladding panels had also caught on fire. Observing this, the incident commander requested another two pumps and an aerial appliance at 01:13, which triggered the dispatch of more senior officers,
3120-587: The hospital a day later and another who died in January 2018. The latter occurred after an official death toll was announced by police in November 2017. The incident ranks as the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Second World War . The dead included many children, five of whom were students at
3224-415: The national grid rendered the 23 megawatt (MW) coal and latterly oil-fired power station redundant. The station had a single chimney and two reinforced concrete cooling towers. The power station closed in 1968; in its final year of operation it delivered 3,192 MWh of electricity to the borough. Luton Airport opened in 1938, owned and operated by the council. It is now one of the largest employers in
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3328-510: The 10th floor and all but two up to the 12th floor, but none got higher than the 20th floor during this time; only two people escaped from the highest two floors. At a news conference in the afternoon of 14 June, LFB reported firefighters had rescued 65 people from the building and reached all 24 floors. Seventy-four people were confirmed by the NHS to be in six hospitals across London with 20 of them in critical care. The fire continued to burn on
3432-472: The 1968 Ronan Point disaster and "from what I can see could last another hundred years". Like many other tower blocks in the UK, Grenfell Tower was designed to be operated under a "stay put policy" in the event of fire. The idea was that if a fire broke out in one flat, thick walls and fire doors would contain the fire long enough for the fire service to bring it under control ( compartmentation ). Only those in
3536-554: The Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team . The Metropolitan Police and London's Air Ambulance also assisted the rescue effort. The fire is the subject of multiple complex investigations by the police, a public inquiry, and coroner's inquests . Among the many issues investigated are the management of the building by the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council and Kensington and Chelsea TMO (which
3640-666: The Grenfell Tower fire described it as a "tragedy foretold", highlighting that there had been previous cladding fires such as the 2015 fire at The Marina Torch in Dubai , United Arab Emirates. As a result of the Garnock Court fire in 1999 the Scottish government had ordered the removal of laminate panels and enacted legislation to prevent their installation. In 2016, a non-fatal fire at a Shepherd's Bush tower block spread to six floors via flammable external cladding. In May 2017,
3744-613: The actual day of the fire. By the following week, police had estimated that 80 people had died. This was the most widely quoted estimate in the media for several months. Some victims were identified from 26 calls to 999 made from inside the 23 flats. On 19 September 2017, Metropolitan Police Commander Stuart Cundy suggested that the number of dead could be lower than 80 because eight people were being investigated for making fraudulent financial claims for non-existent victims. By 1 June 2018, this had led to five people being convicted of fraud. Obstacles to identifying fatalities included
3848-486: The affected dwelling would be expected to evacuate. The building was designed under the assumption that a full evacuation would never be necessary. There was no centrally activated fire alarm and only a single central staircase. Unlike those in many other countries, UK regulations do not require a second. In 2010, a fire broke out in a lobby and was quickly extinguished. Until 1996, Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council managed its council housing directly. In 1996,
3952-409: The aftermath of the fire, members of the local community, including a residents' group called Grenfell United, stated that the official figures were far short of existing estimates, with some believing that the death toll was "in hundreds". Ten days after the fire, only 18 deaths had yet been officially recorded, compared to the estimate of 80 and the eventual figure of 72. Beyond physical injury,
4056-414: The airport, Dunstable and Houghton Regis . Hertfordshire-based bus operator Uno also run buses on their 'Dragonfly' 610 route to Hatfield, Potters Bar and Cockforsters Luton is also served by a large taxi network. As a unitary authority , Luton Borough Council is responsible for the local highways and public transport in the borough and licensing of taxis. Luton is one of the main locations of
4160-496: The ancient parish was split into a Luton parish covering the same area as the borough and a Luton Rural parish covering the area outside the borough. Luton Rural was abolished in 1896 and its area divided into the four parishes of Hyde, Leagrave, Limbury and Stopsley. In 1928 the Leagrave and Limbury parishes were both abolished and their areas absorbed into the borough of Luton; Stopsley was similarly absorbed in 1933. Hyde remains
4264-492: The area. The pre-war years, were something of an economic boom for Luton, as new industries grew and prospered. New private and council housing was built in the 1920s and 1930s, with Luton starting to incorporate nearby villages Leagrave , Limbury and Stopsley between 1928 and 1933. Post-war, a number of substantial estates of council housing were built, notably at Farley Hill , Stopsley , Limbury , Marsh Farm and Leagrave ( Hockwell Ring ). The Marsh Farm area of
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4368-420: The blaze to remain there, was abandoned in favour of general evacuation. After this point only 36 additional residents were able to escape. Experts on the subsequent inquiry into the disaster later said that the "stay put" policy should have been discarded an hour and twenty minutes sooner. By sunrise, firefighters were still busy fighting the fire and attempting rescues on the inside. At 04:14, police addressed
4472-437: The building if a fire broke out, pointing out that the building had only one entrance and exit, and corridors that had been allowed to fill with rubbish, such as old mattresses. GAG frequently cited other fires in tower blocks when it warned of the hazards at Grenfell. In November 2016, GAG characterised KCTMO as an "evil, unprincipled, mini-mafia" and accused the council of ignoring health and safety laws. GAG suggested that "only
4576-611: The cladding panel existed; however, cavity barriers to the line of each flat were found to be inadequately installed, or not suitable for the intended configuration, and this exacerbated the rapid and uncontrolled spread of fire, both vertically and horizontally, to the tower. The fire was declared a major incident, with more than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters and 70 fire engines from stations across Greater London involved in efforts to control it and rescue residents. More than 100 London Ambulance Service crews on at least 20 ambulances attended, joined by specialist paramedics from
4680-524: The clay deposits in the east of the town. The source of the River Lea , part of the Thames Valley drainage basin , is in the Leagrave area of the town. The Great Bramingham Wood surrounds this area. It is classified as ancient woodland ; records mention the wood at least 400 years ago. There are few routes through the hilly area for some miles, this has led to several major roads (including
4784-522: The complexity and volume of material, cases are not expected to be presented before the end of 2026, with any trials from 2027. In April 2023, a group of 22 organisations, including cladding company Arconic, Whirlpool and several government bodies, reached a civil settlement with 900 people affected by the fire. Grenfell Tower was part of the Lancaster West Estate , a council housing complex in North Kensington . The 24-storey tower block
4888-521: The council created Kensington and Chelsea TMO (KCTMO), a tenant management organisation which would manage its council housing stock. KCTMO had a board comprising eight residents ( tenants or leaseholders ), four council-appointed members and three independent members. The tower was built as council housing, but fourteen of the flats had been bought under the Right to Buy policy. These were occupied by leaseholders, or were privately rented out by them on
4992-455: The council took direct control of council housing from the KCTMO. Parliament commissioned an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which published a report in May 2018. In the UK and internationally, governments have investigated tower blocks with similar cladding. Efforts to replace the cladding on these buildings are ongoing. A side effect of this has been hardship caused by
5096-481: The course of the operation, 250 firefighters attempted to control the blaze, with more than 100 firefighters inside the building at a given time. Assistant commissioner Andrew Roe assumed direct command of firefighting operations for the next 11 hours. Rather than command the operations directly, commissioner Cotton served as a monitoring officer, overseeing Roe and providing moral support to firefighters. She said that LFB had broken their own safety protocols by entering
5200-628: The eastern part of the Chiltern Hills . The Chilterns are a mixture of chalk from the Cretaceous period (about 66 – 145 million years ago) and deposits laid at the southernmost points of the ice sheet during the last ice age (the Warden Hill area can be seen from much of the town). Bedfordshire had a reputation for brick making but the industry is now significantly reduced. The brickworks at Stopsley took advantage of
5304-516: The end of the First World War . Dr. John G. Dony, author of The Flora of Bedfordshire told his history students (he taught at Luton Grammar, predecessor of Luton Sixth Form College ), during the 1950s, that he had broken the last intact window of the old town hall during the 1919 riots. Local people, including many ex-servicemen, were unhappy with unemployment and had been refused the use of a local park to hold celebratory events. They stormed
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#17327808898705408-477: The estate are called Lea Bank, Penhill and Five Springs, each is of a similar design and are 15 floors each reaching a total height of 44.2 m (145 ft). The Purley Centre was a council-owned shopping centre that contained the Marsh Farm Library and local business, such as supermarkets, a pub named The Purley Tavern and restaurants, and a multi-storey block of flats adjacent. It was the host of
5512-427: The estate in July 1992. Whilst many parts of the estate still look like a typical 1960s development, the estate has £32m of European money available for re-development and plans were created by the local council and other interested parties. Councillor Tom Shaw later said that he hoped it would remove the media's memories of Marsh Farm's anti-social past: "The bad reputation – people keep on talking about that [...] That
5616-614: The estate, whilst Centrebus provide connections with their faster 'top10' service to the Town Centre. Primary Schools Secondary schools Library The estate lies within the ecclesiastical benefice of The Holy Cross, Marsh Farm and is served by the Parish Church of the Holy Cross ( Church of England ) built in 1976 and located in the centre of the estate adjacent to the medical centre on Purway Close. The Parish
5720-429: The estate. Marsh Farm was located by Leagrave Marsh and part of the old farmland is now Leagrave Park . The estate was built in the late 1960s, with a mixture of flats and houses as part of the post-war expansion of Luton, mostly for overspill population rehoused from London . The estates at Farley Hill , Hockwell Ring and Stopsley were all built at about the same time. The council-owned tower blocks that dominate
5824-462: The estate. The lead artist, Viv McIntyre, visited schools on the estate and carried out workshops with the pupils, where they provided the images (based on given themes) to create the mural designs. A team of artists then worked with the children to transfer the designs from paper to the walls. Work was halted until the 2010s, in which tenants were relocated, and old homes were demolished and rebuilt, notably The Purley Centre between 2017 and 2018, which
5928-414: The fact there was no formal register of who was in the building, and the number of undocumented subtenants, migrants and asylum seekers who were believed to have been living there. Mayor Sadiq Khan called for an amnesty to ensure that people with pertinent information could come forward. The first Coroner's Inquests opened on 23 August 2017 and all other inquests were opened by 23 November 2017. In
6032-558: The fire service were too late in advising residents to evacuate. A second phase to investigate the broader causes began on 27 January 2020. Extensive hearings were conducted, and the Inquiry Panel published their final report on 4 September 2024. Following publication, police investigations will identify possible cases and the Crown Prosecution Service will decide if criminal charges are to be brought. Due to
6136-525: The fire was a traumatic event which had a psychological impact on residents, emergency service workers and the public at large. On 26 July 2017, at the fourth public meeting of the Grenfell Response Team , a local volunteer reported that there had been at least 20 suicide attempts in north Kensington since the fire, one of which had been completed. The mental health of many survivors was damaged. LFB Commissioner Dany Cotton defended
6240-659: The fire, a number of unsubstantiated reports about casualties circulated online, which were to later be debunked, including that the government had covered up details of the fire and babies' miraculous survival stories. A later investigation by the BBC's Newsnight programme found no evidence that these survival accounts were credible: neither the Metropolitan Police, London Ambulance Service nor any A&E departments were able to find any record of this happening. The fire caused 72 deaths, including one who died in
6344-490: The firefighters were doing, and she later died in this location. Another two firefighters were sent to a flat on the 14th floor with a single resident, only to find eight people (four of them eventually escaped). As the fire rapidly spread around the building, witnesses on the ground reported seeing trapped residents switching the lights in their flats on and off or waving from windows to attract help, some holding children as well as hearing residents screaming from all sides of
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#17327808898706448-407: The flat. By the time the firefighters began extinguishing the kitchen fire, a column of flames was quickly advancing up the side of the building. At 01:15, a firefighter discovered smoke in flat 26 (directly above flat 16), another discovered residents who had fled smoke on the fifth and sixth floors, and outside large quantities of debris began falling from the burning façade. The flames spread up
6552-438: The flats to search for residents. The firefighters encountered thick smoke, zero visibility and extreme heat when they climbed above the fourth floor. Some residents had moved location to escape the smoke. Three firefighters who went to rescue a 12-year-old girl on the 20th floor were unable to find her; she had moved to a flat on the 23rd floor. Despite being on the phone to an operator, the operator had no means of knowing what
6656-504: The fridge freezer in his kitchen, Kebede alerted his lodgers and neighbours, before making a call to the LFB at 00:54. The first two fire engines ("pumps"), were mobilised from North Kensington Fire Station at 00:55.14 and arrived at 00:59.28 and 00:59.14 respectively. The initial incident commander Michael Dowden said that the fire was visible at this point as a "glow" in the window. A further two pumps were also dispatched. Any residents of
6760-509: The gathering crowd outside. Five minutes later, the London Ambulance Service were also called. Due to fire doors not closing and sealing properly, smoke began to spread from affected flats into the lobbies. By 01:33, LFB were receiving calls from residents who reported being trapped in their flats. At some point between 01:30 and 01:40, smoke began to enter the stairwell. The Inquiry later estimated that despite this,
6864-477: The group published a 2012 fire risk assessment by a KCTMO Health and Safety Officer which recorded safety concerns. Firefighting equipment at the tower had not been checked for up to four years; on-site fire extinguishers had expired, and some had the word "condemned" written on them because they were so old. GAG documented its attempts to contact KCTMO management; they also alerted the council's cabinet member for Housing and Property but said they never received
6968-468: The head office of Vauxhall Motors is in the village of Chalton on the northern border of the borough . London Luton Airport opened in 1938 and is now one of Britain's major airports, with three railway stations also in the town. The University of Bedfordshire was created from a merger with the University of Luton; two of its campuses are in Luton. Since 1997, Luton Borough Council has been
7072-573: The help of the Metropolitan Police riot squad to bring the situation under control, it was the rave organisers Exodus Collective who brought the riots to an end by staging an impromptu party out of town which drew 2,000 young people from the area and calmed them down. The riots also resulted in a policeman being stabbed, all of the estate's public buildings being vandalised or set alight, cars were stolen and then set alight by joyriders as young as 12. A less notorious riot also occurred on
7176-476: The heroism of emergency service workers who themselves were affected by trauma. An on-call counsellor was made available. Around 80 firefighters and Met Police officers were reported to be suffering from their experiences. Cotton told LBC Radio that she too was undergoing counselling. An extra four full-time counsellors were employed (reversing previous staff reductions) and 60 volunteer counsellors were brought in. All firefighters who attended Grenfell were given
7280-477: The large crowd of onlookers and urgently instructed them to contact anyone they knew who was trapped in the building—if they were able to reach them via phone or Twitter —to tell them they must try to self-evacuate and not wait for the fire brigade. By 04:44, all sides of the building had been affected. Only two further rescues took place, with one resident being rescued at 06:05 and the last being rescued at 08:07. Firefighters rescued all remaining residents up to
7384-501: The largest car plant in the United Kingdom in Luton, during the Second World War , it built Churchill tanks as part of the war effort . Despite heavy camouflage, the factory made Luton a target for the Luftwaffe and the town suffered a number of air raids . 107 died and there was extensive damage to the town (over 1,500 homes were damaged or destroyed). The original town hall was destroyed in 1919 during Peace Day celebrations at
7488-529: The largest churches in Bedfordshire, St Mary's Church , was built in the 12th century. There are local museums which explore Luton's history in Wardown Park and Stockwood Park . Luton was once known for hatmaking and also had a large Vauxhall Motors factory. Car production at the plant began in 1905 and continued until its closure in 2002. Production of commercial vehicles continues and
7592-421: The local economy at that time, and the town's population was around 700 to 800. In 1121 Robert, 1st Earl of Gloucester started work on St Mary's Church in the centre of the town. The work was completed by 1137. A motte-and-bailey castle which gives its name to the modern Castle Street was built in 1139 but demolished by 1154. The hat making industry began in the 17th century and became synonymous with
7696-482: The months before the fire. As with the majority of tower blocks in the UK, Grenfell Tower did not have fire sprinklers . Meanwhile, in June 2016, an independent assessor had highlighted 40 serious issues with fire safety at Grenfell Tower and recommended action to be taken within weeks. In October, the assessor asked the KCTMO why there had been no action taken for more than 20 issues in the June report. In November 2016,
7800-497: The nearby Kensington Aldridge Academy . The youngest of those known killed, Leena Belkadi, was 6 months old. One victim died in hospital on 15 June 2017 due to inhalation of fire fumes. Additionally, one then-pregnant survivor lost her baby through stillbirth as a result of the fire. Survivors came from 106 of the tower's 129 flats; eighteen people among the occupants of these flats were reported as dead or missing presumed dead, whereas most of those killed were said to have been in
7904-430: The open market. Grenfell Tower underwent a major renovation, announced in 2012 and conducted over 2015–2016. The tower received new windows, a water-based heating system for individual flats and new aluminium composite rain screen cladding . According to the application, the purpose of the cladding was to improve heating and energy efficiency, and external appearance. Mark Harris, of Harley Facades , said, "from
8008-419: The parish vestry . The town was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1876. Later in 1876 the new borough council was granted a coat of arms . The wheatsheaf was used on the crest to represent agriculture and the supply of straw used in the local hatmaking industry (the straw plaiting industry was brought to Luton by a group of Scots under the protection of Sir John Napier of Luton Hoo ). The bee
8112-525: The police moved crowds away from the building as a safety precaution. The MPS Territorial Support Group was present; besides being a specialist unit for public order policing , they provided riot shields to protect firefighters from falling debris. Shortly after 02:00, a major incident was declared and the number of fire engines was raised from twenty five to forty and the number of fire-rescue units increased to ten, command vehicles to six, aerial platforms to four, and operational support units to two. Over
8216-652: The reason why the fire spread rapidly through the leisure centre was the acrylic sheeting on the exterior of the building. In the 1991 Knowsley Heights fire , fire spread up the entire height of an 11-storey building due to its exterior cladding, though it did not enter the interior and nobody was injured. In 2009, external composite panels also played a role in the spread of the Lakanal House fire in Southwark . An article in The Guardian three days after
8320-540: The remaining 23 flats between the 11th and 23rd floors. Some people from lower floors may have tried to move up the building, and it is thought a number of people may have ended up in one flat. Police examined the remains of Grenfell Tower and used "every imaginable source" of information "from government agencies to fast food companies" to identify casualties. Their analysis of CCTV evidence concluded that 223 people (of 293 present) had escaped. This investigation took five months, with only 12 fatalities being identified on
8424-725: The scene and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escaping. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II . The fire was started by an electrical fault in a refrigerator on the fourth floor. As Grenfell was an existing building originally built in concrete to varying tolerances, gaps around window openings following window installation were irregular and these were filled with combustible foam insulation to maintain air-tightness by contractors. This foam insulation around window jambs acted as
8528-435: The side at a "terrifying rate". Attempts to fight the fire with an external jet were unsuccessful, as it was mostly burning behind the waterproof rainscreen. By 01:30, a rising column of flames had reached the roof and the fire grew out of control. The fire on the eastern exterior spread sideways and brought smoke and flames into multiple flats. By 01:18, 34 of 293 residents had escaped. The busiest phase of evacuations
8632-450: The south-east. A light metro people mover track, Luton DART , opened in 2023, linking the airport and Luton Airport Parkway railway station. A network of bus services run by Arriva Shires & Essex , Grant Palmer and Centrebus serves the urban area of Luton and Dunstable . A bus rapid transit route opened in 2013, called the Luton to Dunstable Busway , connecting the town with
8736-401: The stairs were still passable for over half an hour. Evacuation rates slowed, with 20 escaping between 01:38 and 01:58. More than half of those still trapped at 01:58 were killed, while 48 were rescued between 01:58 and 03:58. The fire continued to spread sideways on the exterior, and by 01:42 had reached the north side. LFB call handlers collected information from trapped residents and this
8840-417: The tower who called the fire service were told to remain in their flat unless it was affected, which is the standard policy for high-rise fires, as each flat should be fireproofed from its neighbours. Also due to this policy, the building had no central fire alarm. After most of the firefighters entered the building, a bridgehead (internal base of operations) was set up on the second floor, connecting hoses to
8944-474: The tower's upper floors. It was not brought under control until 01:14 on 15 June and firefighters were still damping down pockets of fire when the Brigade issued an update on 16 June. The fire brigade also used a drone to inspect the building and search for casualties. The fire was declared extinguished on the evening of 16 June. Reporting of the disaster escalated as follows: In the immediate aftermath of
9048-477: The tower. Eyewitnesses reported seeing some people jumping to their deaths, and four victims were later found to have died from "injuries consistent with falling from a height". At least one person used knotted blankets to make a rope and escape from the burning building. Frequent explosions that were reported to be from gas lines in the building were heard. Outside operations were hindered by falling debris, including burning pieces of cladding. Due to this danger,
9152-644: The town hall, setting it alight ( see Luton Town Hall ). A replacement building was completed in 1936. Luton Borough Corporation had provided the borough with electricity since the early twentieth century from Luton power station , located adjacent to the railway. Upon nationalisation of the electricity industry in 1948 ownership passed to the British Electricity Authority and later to the Central Electricity Generating Board . Electricity connections to
9256-612: The town was developed in the mid to late 1960s as a large council housing estate, mostly to house the overspill population from London . However, the estate gained a reputation for high levels of crime, poverty and unemployment, which culminated in a riot on the estate in July 1992 and another more serious riot three years later. The closure of the Vauxhall manufacturing plant in 2002 had negative effects for Luton, leading to increased unemployment and deprivation. In 2024, Stellantis announced plans to close its truck plant in Luton. There
9360-464: The town's working population (classified 16–74 years of age by the Office for National Statistics ), 63% are employed. This figure includes students, the self-employed and those who are in part-time employment. 11% are retired, 8% look after the family or take care of the home and 5% are unemployed. Luton is situated less than 30 miles (50 km) north of the centre of London, giving it good links with
9464-517: The town. The town grew: in 1801 the population was 3,095, but by 1850 it was over 10,000 and by 1901 it was almost 39,000. Newspaper printing arrived in the town in 1854. The first public cemetery was opened in the same year and Luton was made a borough in 1876. Luton's hat trade reached its peak in the 1930s, but severely declined after the Second World War and was replaced by other industries. In 1907, Vauxhall Motors opened
9568-615: The year. The local climate around Luton is differentiated somewhat from much of South East England due to its position in the Chiltern Hills , meaning it tends to be 1–2 degrees Celsius cooler than the surrounding towns – often flights at Luton airport , lying 160 m (525 ft) above sea level, will be suspended when marginal snow events occur, while airports at lower elevations, such as Heathrow , at 25 m (82 ft) above sea level, continue to function. Absolute temperature extremes recorded at Rothamsted Research Station, 5 miles (8 km) south south east of Luton town centre and at
9672-399: Was 25 years ago. People who live on Marsh Farm, love Marsh Farm;" and Mark Peasey the divisional director added: "[the riots were] a long, long time ago [...] We are developing skills for local people and we can leave a legacy behind [with people] continuing to work in the construction industry[.]" In the summer of 1999, some regeneration money was used to fund murals on the underpasses around
9776-501: Was an ancient parish in the Flitt hundred . The parish was the largest in Bedfordshire by area, and was subdivided into five hamlets or townships : Hyde , Leagrave , Limbury , Stopsley , and a Luton township covering the central part of the parish including the town itself. The Luton township was made a local board district in 1850. The local board was the town's first elected local authority; previously it had been administered by
9880-597: Was approved in 2019. Luton International Carnival , the largest one-day carnival in Europe, is held on the day before the last Monday in May; the Saint Patrick 's festival is held on the weekend nearest to Saint Patrick's Day as there is a large Irish community in Luton. The town also has a large Pakistani community which, along with the Irish, were attracted to employment at the Vauxhall car plant. Luton Hoo
9984-561: Was as follows: Luton's economy has traditionally been focused on several different areas of industry, including car manufacturing , engineering and millinery . However, today, Luton is moving towards a service based economy mainly in the retail and the airport sectors, although there is still a focus on light industry in the town. Notable firms with headquarters in Luton include: Notable firms with offices in Luton include: Luton's post-war and more recent industrial decline has been compared to that of similar towns in northern England. Of
10088-574: Was between 01:18 and 01:38, when 110 escaped, with many awoken by their smoke alarms when smoke entered their flat. Due to Ramadan , many observing Muslim residents were awake for the pre-dawn meal of suhur , which enabled them to alert neighbours. LFB rapidly escalated its response during this time period. The number of pumps in attendance was raised from six to eight at 01:19, with a specialist fire rescue unit, bulk breathing apparatus carrier and damage control unit being sent too. Pumps were made up to ten at 01:24, then to fifteen at 01:27 along with
10192-504: Was designed in 1967 in the Brutalist style of the era by Clifford Wearden and Associates, and the Kensington and Chelsea London Borough Council approved its construction in 1970. The building was constructed by contractors A E Symes of Leyton from 1972 to 1974. The 220-foot-10-inch (67.30 m) tall building contained 120 one-bedroom and two-bedroom flats . The upper 20 (of 24) storeys were residential floors, with each having
10296-436: Was fitted by Harley Facades of Crowborough , East Sussex , at a cost of £2.6 million. Residents had expressed significant safety concerns before the fire. Twelve years earlier, a report had criticised the tower's emergency lighting . The Grenfell Action Group (GAG) ran a blog in which it highlighted major safety problems, criticising the council and KCTMO for neglecting fire safety and building maintenance. In 2013,
10400-501: Was refused due to cost. The original contractor, Leadbitter, had been dropped by KCTMO because their price of £11.278 million was £1.6 million higher than the proposed budget. The contract was put out to competitive tender and won by Rydon , whose bid was £2.5 million less than Leadbitter's. Rydon carried out the refurbishment for £8.7 million, with Artelia on contract administration and Max Fordham as specialist mechanical and electrical consultants. The cladding
10504-501: Was relayed to the LFB's command unit at the scene. Communicating through radio proved difficult, due to noise, the sheer volume of talk and possibly the concrete building structure. Instead, details of trapped residents were written on slips of paper and ferried by runners from the command unit to the bridgehead on the second floor. At the bridgehead, incoming firefighters were assigned flats to go to and briefed on whom they would need to rescue. They donned breathing apparatus and headed to
10608-539: Was replaced by houses, a new row of stores, low rise apartments and recreation space. Marsh Farm Library was relocated to Lea Manor High School, which received its own refurbishment between 2009 and 2011. The three tower blocks received sprinkler systems after concerns were raised during the Grenfell Tower fire and blue cladding is being added around the sides. Marsh Farm is part of the Northwell ward , which
10712-524: Was responsible for the borough's council housing ), the responses of the Fire Brigade, other government agencies, deregulation policy, building inspections, adequate budgeting, fire safety systems, the materials used, companies installing, selling and manufacturing the cladding, and failures in communications, advice given or decisions made by office holders. In the aftermath of the fire, the council's leader, deputy leader and chief executive resigned, and
10816-475: Was subsequently abolished in 2009). Luton is situated 28 miles north of London and 39 miles southwest of Cambridge . The town forms the core part of the wider Luton/Dunstable Urban Area which includes the nearby towns of Dunstable and Houghton Regis in Central Bedfordshire . The town is the most populous settlement in Bedfordshire followed by Bedford . Luton is located in a break in
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