The construction of multi-storey timber frame buildings in urban areas should be halted indefinitely in light of a spate of recent fires.

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That is according to British Precast, which has criticised the practice in the wake of this week's fire in Peckham, which led to hundreds of people being evacuated from their homes.

According to the fire brigade, the south London blaze started on the site where a five-storey timber frame building was still under construction, with the material leading to intense levels of heat and causing the flames to spread to neighbouring buildings.

Given that this latest incident comes soon after a similar fire in Colindale, the precast industry body has called for an immediate halt to all construction jobs involving timber-frames in urban areas.

British Precast's Martin Clarke argued that such projects not only pose a danger to those working in construction jobs, put also pose a long-term risk to urban residents.

"These types of structure are clearly an unsustainable failed experiment," he concluded.

Founded back in 1918, the British Precast Concrete Federation works to promote the use of precast concrete in construction jobs of all sizes, as well as to spread information on the material.