Thousands of university students have started the Autumn term staying in accommodation which is covered in combustible cladding according to official figures.

Forty-seven residential blocks reserved for students remain clad in aluminium composite material similar to that which helped spread the fire at Grenfell Tower. Hundreds of students live in each tower block.

Only 15 of the 62 student towers rising over 18 metres and using material that officials said breached building regulations have so far been completely fixed, according to the data. Work has started on another nine but remediation plans remained unclear for 21 of the towers, officials said. The National Union of Students has said the buildings should not be used until they have been repaired and called for a full list of the affected premises to be published.

But the Government has refused to identify which tower blocks are covered in the cladding. It said revealing the information could endanger the mental and physical health of people living in the buildings and could compromise their safety. “It’s absolutely appalling,” said Eva Crossan Jory, the NUS vice-president for welfare. “It’s incredibly concerning to see private providers gambling with students’ lives.” The Office for Students called for urgent checks of the halls of residence. “We would hope that the local fire authority and the Health and Safety Executive checks these blocks urgently to reassure students of their safety,” said the the higher education regulator’s chief executive, Nicola Dandridge.

The Government has also revealed for the first time that 28 high-rise hotels were among 291 private sector buildings that would have to remove the cladding, but again it would not say where they were. None of the affected hotels has had the cladding removed or have even started remediation works, according to the figures. Plans are in place for remediation of 14 of the 28.

By Patrick Mooney, editor