Grenfell grief and sadness will live on until families have justice, says bishop

SURVIVORS and bereaved families today marked five years since the devastating Grenfell Tower fire as the bishop leading the memorial service insisted the fight for justice will go on.

- Rachael Burford

Residents who escaped the inferno on June 14, 2017, gathered with the relatives of those who died and campaigners at Westminster Abbey this morning.

The Bishop of Kensington, the Rev Dr Graham Tomlin, said there was a sense of "injustice, grief and sadness" felt by the community following the fire, which claimed 72 lives.

No individuals or companies have been charged over the fire so far.

Campaigners also warned a similar disaster will happen after the Government failed to proceed with all the recommended changes needed to stop a similar tragedy.

Dr Tomlin told the memorial service that housing industry bosses appeared to put profits ahead of people.

"Lament refuses to accept easy answers," he said. "It tries to name an uncomfortable reality - it says plainly that what happened at Grenfell was wrong. It was not an unfortunate accident - it was the result of careless decisions taken, regulations ignored, an industry that seemed at times more interested in making profits and selling products than in the precious value of human life and keeping people safe in their own homes."

He added: "Those of you who lost loved ones in Grenfell Tower, those who survived that night, those of you who live in the local community and who watched the events of that dreadful nigh unfold, have waited five long years.