By Lisa Buckley
The Nuneaton News
WARWICKSHIRE COUNTY, England — A court date has been set for a local authority over the deaths of four firefighters who lost their lives in a massive warehouse blaze.
Warwickshire County Council representatives will appear at Stafford Crown Court from Monday, December 3.
The authority has already pleaded guilty at Wolverhampton Crown Court to failing to ensure safety at work concerning the deaths of Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service personnel Ashley Stephens, Darren Yates-Badley, Ian Reid and John Averis who died due fighting a blaze at a food packing plant in Atherstone on Stour in November 2007.
December’s trial is expected to last for up to two weeks.
In a statement to the Nuneaton News, a spokesperson for the county council said: “The investigation, over the last five years, has already cost several million pounds of public money.
“We are every bit as concerned, as the judge is, that any further expenditure to the tax payer is kept to a minimum and we are doing our best to avoid any additional costs to the public purse.”
As reported in the News back in May, three fire chiefs, including Adrian Ashley from Nuneaton, walked free from court following a six week trial after being found not guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.
A row soon broke out between firefighters’ union the FBU and Warwickshire Police as the investigation which lasted almost five years came to an end.
Warwickshire County Council entered a guilty plea in January on a limited basis and made it clear that it did not accept many of the allegations made by the prosecution.
Speaking in January county council legal representative Chris Green said: “We believe it is very important that we say nothing that in any way prejudices the legal proceedings about these tragic events so we will not be saying anything further except that our thoughts are with the families and friends of all those affected by the Atherstone fire.”
The investigation into the fire has cost £4.6m.
The four fireman died as they tackled a fire which engulfed the Wealmoor vegetable packing plant in south Warwickshire on November 2, 2007.
Up to 100 firefighters tackled the blaze which lasted for more than 12 hours.
The bodies of Mr Stephens, 20, Mr Averis, 27, and Mr Yates-Badley, 24, were found in the burnt factory. Mr Reid, 44, died later in hospital.
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