THE Fire Brigades Union has praised the actions of firefighters who tackled the blaze at the Cube student accommodation but labelled the "terrible" incident a "complete failure" of the UK fire system.

The trade union has since called for a "complete overhaul" of the UK fire safety system and condemned cuts to fire and rescue services.

Its comments follow the blaze which broke out at the building in Bradshawgate on Friday night.

Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “My congratulations go to the crews on the ground who did amazing work in incredibly difficult circumstances.

"This terrible fire highlights the complete failure of the UK’s fire safety system.

"It’s deeply troubling to see fire spread rapidly up a building’s exterior again - a shocking indictment of the government’s shameful inaction after Grenfell.

"This is not how any building should react to a fire in the 21st century, let alone a building in which people live.

"We need to end the deregulation agenda and the disastrous cuts to our fire and rescue service. It's time for a complete overhaul of UK fire safety before it’s too late.”

Les Skarratts, FBU North West executive council member , said: “Firefighters on the ground have worked tirelessly to contain the fire and rescue residents.

"There will clearly be some hard lessons to learn as the circumstances become clearer in the coming days."

Mr Skarratts added that Greater Manchester has lost more than 600 firefighters since 2010 alone and "alarmingly" could lose another six fire engines, including one in Bolton.

"We need to stop the senseless cuts to our fire and rescue service before we see another awful incident like this,” he said.