HSE Report Say’s Nobody to Blame for Shrewsbury Gas Explosion
A Health and Safety Executive report into the gas explosion which rocked Shrewsbury has concluded that nobody was at fault.
The blast injured 12 people, destroyed a building and caused considerable damage to other buildings in Bridge Street, Mardol and the new Theatre Severn, on Sunday 3 January 2010.
The Health and Safety Executive report said there was no evidence the explosion was caused intentionally or through negligence and that nobody could be held responsible for the explosion.
The HSE said it had conducted a thorough investigation over the past twelve months, and had concluded that the cause was from mains gas leaking from a fractured low pressure cast iron gas main located in the footpath immediately in front of 1-5 Bridge Street.
Gas from the leak had accumulated within 1-5 Bridge Street which was ignited by a source from within the building which led to the explosion.
Stresses imposed by the local ground conditions near to the main may have contributed to the unpredicted failure of the main, and that there was no evidence of failures by the pipeline operator or any other company or individual to warrant prosecution.
