A retired architect and expert on Britain's deadliest tower block disasters has criticised a report which stopped short of banning the type of combustible cladding used on Grenfell tower .

Sam Webb said Dame Judith Hackitt's building regulations review did not go far enough, saying the sector must be reined in to avoid a repeat of the tragedy.

"I just think it's a disgrace. I mean, think about it: 72 people and one an unborn baby," the Royal Institute of British Architects expert advisory group investigating the Grenfell Tower fire founder said.

Just hours after Hackitt's report was released, Housing Secretary James Brokenshire announced the government would consult on the cladding issue, amid widespread criticism.

Webb has been warning of the risk of tower block fires since the 1980s. He appeared as an expert witness advising the families of the six victims, including children, who died in the 2009 Lakanal House fire in Camberwell.

He also provided the research behind the demolition of the Ronan Point tower block in Newham, which had partially collapsed just months after being built, killing four people in 1968.

He said he submitted an expert report to Hackitt for her review, advising that she recommend banning combustible cladding and desktop studies.

Instead of carrying out a full fire-safety test, desktop studies review previous results of other tests carried out on the materials.

Aftermath photos of Grenfell Tower show destroyed cladding on the exterior of the building

Webb said he felt his advice had been ignored, remarking that he had grown tired of waiting for experts' warnings to be heeded.

"If you go back to something like the Titanic in the days of inkwells and dipping pens and shorthand stenographers, they reported about the Titanic six weeks after it sank.

"Why did it take so long for Grenfell to happen? Why did it take so long for Lakanal to happen? When you have a Prime Minister like David Cameron who is saying he's going to declare war on health and safety, and he sees regulation as a burden on industry."

Webb compared the material that wrapped Grenfell to the planes that hit the Twin Towers on 9/11. Its cladding bore a fire loading equivalent to 7000 gallons of petrol, compared to the planes' 8,300 gallons, Webb said.

"Would you feel safe sleeping in that?"

Dame Hackitt's report said it was clear too many tower block builds were focused on quickness and cheapness.

She called for a disjointed regulatory process for inspecting buildings, and for enforcement options to be reformed.

She also recommended tenants' voices be given more weight.

Webb said there was scope for a repeat of Grenfell if companies commissioning building works were not heavily regulated.

"Clients now tended to be offshore, hedge-fund managers registered in the Bahamas. Now, their interest is to get the building up as quickly as possible and sell it. They aren't interested in providing homes or offices for anybody: they are interested in making money."

Grenfell's cladding system will be a key focus at the inquiry into the tragedy, which begins on Monday (May 21).

The government announced this week it will fund £400 million for the removal and replacement of unsafe cladding by housing associations and councils.