Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has demanded a review of fire safety at east London’s huge Barking Riverside development after a blaze engulfed a six-storey block and destroyed 20 homes.

Fire broke out at an apartment building in De Pass Gardens, part of the Sheppard Robson-designed first phase of Barking Riverside, on Sunday afternoon. The wider project is in the process of delivering almost 11,000 new homes with the backing of the Greater London Authority.

Around 100 firefighters from across east London spent several hours at the site after the alarm was raised at around 3.30pm. The block featured extensive wood-panelled balconies – a design motif that runs through the development.

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