London, Sep 3 (IANS): London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced that he has asked that 47 property owners and four social landlords in the UK capital to remove dangerous cladding from their residential blocks.

In a statement on Wednesday, City Hall said three years after the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, Khan is deeply concerned that thousands of Londoners are still living in unsafe buildings, reports Xinhua news agency.

More than 70 people died and dozens more were injured in the fire in the 24-storey tower block in June 2017. More than 220 people managed to escape the flames.

Khan has now told building owners to begin work to immediately remove dangerous aluminium composite materials (ACM) cladding immediately.

In a letter to building owners who have had funding applications approved but are yet to start remediation work, the Mayor urged them to take all the necessary steps to accelerate plans to remove and replace unsafe cladding.

A City Hall spokesperson said: "The mayor is fully aware that London faces a big challenge to make all residential buildings secure. London has more than twice as many private ACM blocks as the rest of the country combined."

Khan has asked for clarification on what enforcement mechanisms will be available to penalise building owners who have failed to make their buildings safe.