Angela Rayner and Richard Parker joined me at Stourbridge Fire Station to meet some of the firefighters who were first on the scene during the recent fires and thank them for work.

As Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government she is committed to increasing resources for our fire service and ensuring they are equipped to deal with the challenges they face.

We visited Quarry Park Road as the repatriation effort continues so Angela could see the scale of the incident and speak to some of the residents who have been able to return.

Then back to the Town Hall to see all the donations and the amazing kindness of the community and the ongoing support to people affected. We spoke to residents who saw the fire approaching across the field and engulfing houses. I’ve heard many of these stories over the past few days and it is utterly devastating.

The Secretary of State has introduced £100m to fund fire fighting equipment and will hold a summit in the autumn with fire chiefs to look at future response as these challenges become more frequent.

She said after the visit, “Today what I have seen being at Stourbridge Town Hall, seeing members of the community and those in the areas that have been affected is this sense of community coming together, you could really feel it.”