Huge fines for safety breach firms
Two companies and a manager have been fined for failing to meet fire safety regulations which lead to the death of an employee. Mark Wright suffered 90% burns when an aerosol he had been instructed to dispose of exploded.
Deeside Metal Company was fined £100,000 and £10,000 in costs, Jeyes UK Ltd was fined £330,000 and £50,000 in costs. The manager of Deeside Metal Company Ltd, Robert Roberts who instructed Mr Wright to dispose of the canisters in a metal baler was also fined £10,000.
All parties pleaded guilty to the charges at Caernarfon Crown Court.
Bradford food factory badly damaged in blaze
Over 50 firefighters had to tackle a fire a fire at a food processing factory in Bradford, West Yorkshire, at the weekend, with the damage thought to have been quite extensive.
Fire crews from six stations joined the special units and firefighters from Odsal and Bradford in helping to keep the fire under control at the meat packaging plant, which started just after 2:00am on Saturday morning.
Thick smoke was seen coming from the building and part of the roof caved in.
Odsal watch commander Peter Rushby said:
“There was a lot of smoke and flames when we arrived.
“The fire had spread from the yard into the building and there were still isolated pockets of fire at 7.30am today.
“We were hampered by the weather because there was at least two or three inches of snow on the ground, which hampered the appliances getting to the incident. It was very treacherous on the roads and, once we were there, we started using water, which was freezing.”
It was expected that about a fifth of the single-storey factory, which is located in Haycliffe Lane, Wibsey, was destroyed in the incident.
An investigation is now underway into the cause of the fire, although police have said that arson is suspected.
Wallington house blaze
Three people have escaped a house fire in Wallington.
The fire broke out at 7.30pm in the building on Oxford Road, Wallington. No one was seriously injured in the blaze but three people were treated for smoke inhalation and one needed hospital treatment.
Most of the third floor of the building was damaged by the fire. An investigation into the cause of the fire is being carried out.
Wiltshire leisure centre suffers smoke damage
Yesterday morning, up to 50 firefighters attended a blaze at a leisure centre in Wooton Basset, Wiltshire.
The fire is not being treated as suspicious, although the blaze at Lime Kiln leisure centre which began at around 10:30 on Saturday could not have happened at a worse time for the community, as the building was facing closure anyway.
Speaking on Saturday Wiltshire councillor for North Wootton Bassett Bill Roberts said:
“I found out the terrible news this morning.
“It’s a devastating blow considering we fought so hard to save the place four years ago and the current political situation at the moment.
“There were clouds of smoke billowing out of the building.
“It seemed like half of the Wiltshire Fire Service were in Wootton Bassett today.”
A number of homes in the area had to be evacuated at the time due to the threat posed by plumes of smoke which was seeping out of the complex.
Fire crews used 11 appliances in attempting to put out the fire and were supported by ambulance crews and other vehicles.
The Deputy Chief Fire Officer for Wiltshire, Simon Routh-Jones, said that tackling the fire was made more complex due to the architecture of the building.
He added:
“We have been able to knock down the main part of the fire and we’re now checking the rest of the building.
“The investigation team will be looking into how it started but we don’t believe it is suspicious at this stage.”
Station manager declares fire safety is still a priority
A fire chief under pressure from huge reductions to the fire services budget in South Tyneside has promised that despite the cutbacks, the ability to provide fire safety for the area will not be compromised.
After it was confirmed that there will be a 25 percent reduction in funding for Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), amounting to about £9m over four years, the borough fire boss has moved to try and allay the concerns of the people in South Tyneside.
Hebburn fire station manager Ian Cuskin reacted to the news by stating:
“TWFRS is facing very challenging times ahead.
“In essence, this means a 25 per cent cut in our funding from central government, which is nearly £9m in efficiency savings to be found over the next four years.
“While internally there will be changes to our organisation, we are determined to ensure we continue to provide the people of South Tyneside with a first-class fire and rescue service.”
A review is currently underway into how the organisation is being run and redundancies have not been ruled out as of yet, although staffing levels are being looked at along with how the firefighting equipment available can best be put to use.