AN MP has said firefighters should not be used as “scapegoats” following a damning report into the Grenfell Tower disaster.

Relatives of the 72 people who died in the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 have called for prosecutions after a damning report said London Fire Brigade breached national guidelines through “gravely inadequate” preparation.

Sir Martin Moore-Bick said the absence of a plan to evacuate the tower was a “major omission” by the brigade and more lives could have been saved had the “stay-put” policy been abandoned sooner.

In response, Sir David Amess, chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Fire Safety & Rescue Group, said: “I have the highest regard for the fire service, and our excellent firefighters must not be used as the scapegoat for what happened at Grenfell.

“The relatives and friends of those who lost their lives want to know who was to blame for what happened, and the inquiry will seek to provide them with that information.

“I have spoken to the fire service about Sir Martin’s report and the organisation has already addressed a number of issues which have been raised. Efforts will continue to address those which are outstanding.”

Sir David called for sprinkler systems to be fitted to vulnerable buildings. He said: “We must ensure that such a disaster never happens again. Flammable cladding must be removed from all public and private buildings, sprinklers fitted retrospectively in high rise buildings, and all new buildings such as schools should be fitted with sprinklers.”

Checks were carried out on Southend tower blocks following the Grenfell tragedy.

Ian Gilbert, leader of Southend Council, said: “Fire safety is an absolute priority for this council to ensure our residents are safe in their own homes, which is why we have invested millions of pounds into fire safety across our property estate, particularly in our high rise blocks.

“Works have progressed well over the past 12 months and we have been able to complete a comprehensive review of all fire doors across all high-rise blocks, and we have also extended the programme and allocated £750k per annum for fire safety measures.”

Mr Gilbert added: “We are aware of the report and once it has been released, we will review it in its entirety to consider any actions we must take forward as a local authority.”