Designers and building control bodies were expected to “work out for themselves” what an ambiguous passage in official fire-safety guidance was supposed to mean, the civil servant who was in charge of the rules has said.

Brian Martin told Tuesday’s hearing of the Grenfell Inquiry that he thought the approach was “okay” at the time but admitted that “it’s evident it didn’t work”.

Martin, who had been in charge of fire safety in buildings for 17 years by the time of the Grenfell Tower fire, was questioned yesterday on a key passage in the guidance which has become a central focus of the inquiry.

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