Abbeystead disaster
Encyclopedia
The Abbeystead disaster occurred on the evening of 23 May 1984 when a methane
gas explosion destroyed a waterworks' valve house
at Abbeystead
, Lancashire
, England
. A group of 44 visitors were inside the underground building at the time attending a public presentation by North West Water Authority
(NWWA) to demonstrate the operation of the station. Eight were killed instantly by the explosion, and the others were severely injured. The explosion also caused the concrete roof to fall down on to the group, destroying the steel mesh floor and throwing some of the victims into the water chambers below which rapidly filled with river water. Eight of the initial survivors subsequently died of their injuries in hospital. A 12 year old boy and his mother were among the dead. The official inquiry into the disaster concluded that the methane had seeped from coal deposits 1000 metres below ground and had built up in an empty pipeline. The gas was then ejected into the valve house by the sudden pressure of water as the pumps were switched on. The cause of ignition has never been determined.
near Lancaster
which was then pumped through Abbeystead into the River Wyre
. From here it would be extracted to a treatment works to augment the drinking water supply for south Lancashire.
, situated approximately 10 miles from the valve house and which had previously suffered flooding which residents believed was caused by the station pumping water from the River Lune to the River Wyre. The tour of the valve house had been arranged by NWWA to alleviate public concern about the flooding. George Mann, chairman of NWWA, said that the tour was intended to have a "family flavour." The tour commenced at 7.20pm and the explosion occurred approximately 10 minutes later, with the first telephone call to the emergency services logged at 7.37pm. Oliver Chippendale, the supervisor of a pumping station on the River Lune had received a telephone call from George Lacey, the NWWA district manager conducting the tour, asking him to commence pumping, and a second call 5 minutes later saying that that no water was coming through and to activate a second, larger, pump. Twenty minutes later Chippendale called Abbeystead to check water was coming through and the telephone was answered by water engineer John Nelson who shouted "Get help! There has been a terrible disaster!" The force of the blast had lifted 30 concrete roof beams, each weighing 2.5 tons, upwards through the soil landscaping above them before they fell into the chamber below.
into the deaths was held at Lancaster in October 1984. The jury returned a majority verdict of accidental death on all 16 victims.
, the building's designers Binnie & Partners were found to be 55 per cent liable in negligence for failing to exercise "reasonable care" in assessing the risk of methane. NWWA was found to be 30 per cent to blame for failing to ensure the plant was safe for visitors and employees by testing for methane and Nuttalls Ltd., who constructed the works, were found 15 per cent liable for failing to carry out systematic tests for methane. All three appealed, and ultimately Binnie & Partners were found solely liable. Leave to appeal to the House of Lords
was refused.
Methane
Methane is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is the simplest alkane, the principal component of natural gas, and probably the most abundant organic compound on earth. The relative abundance of methane makes it an attractive fuel...
gas explosion destroyed a waterworks' valve house
Pumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
at Abbeystead
Abbeystead
Abbeystead is a small, picturesque village located in the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in Lancashire, England. Abbeystead lies close to the Trough of Bowland but even in medieval times, was considered part of Wyresdale rather than within the domain of that powerful local...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. A group of 44 visitors were inside the underground building at the time attending a public presentation by North West Water Authority
North West Water
North West Water was a water supply company serving north west England. It was originally the North West Water Authority, one of ten regional authorities created by the Water Act 1973. In 1989 it became North West Water plc, and was privatised...
(NWWA) to demonstrate the operation of the station. Eight were killed instantly by the explosion, and the others were severely injured. The explosion also caused the concrete roof to fall down on to the group, destroying the steel mesh floor and throwing some of the victims into the water chambers below which rapidly filled with river water. Eight of the initial survivors subsequently died of their injuries in hospital. A 12 year old boy and his mother were among the dead. The official inquiry into the disaster concluded that the methane had seeped from coal deposits 1000 metres below ground and had built up in an empty pipeline. The gas was then ejected into the valve house by the sudden pressure of water as the pumps were switched on. The cause of ignition has never been determined.
Background
The Abbeystead valve house was constructed as part of NWWA's 'Lancashire conjunctive use scheme,' a water supply project "to help in meeting the region's expected increases in water demand during the 1980s." The scheme involved the daily extraction of up to 62 million impgals (281,857.6 m³) of water from the River LuneRiver Lune
The River Lune is a river in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.It is formed at Wath, in the parish of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria, at the confluence of Sandwath Beck and Weasdale Beck...
near Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
which was then pumped through Abbeystead into the River Wyre
River Wyre
The River Wyre is a river in Lancashire, United Kingdom, which flows into the Irish Sea at Fleetwood. It is approximately 28 miles in length...
. From here it would be extracted to a treatment works to augment the drinking water supply for south Lancashire.
Explosion
The visitors were from the village of St. Michael's on WyreSt Michael's On Wyre
St Michael's on Wyre is a village on the Fylde, in the Borough of Wyre, in Lancashire, England; it lies on the River Wyre. The village is centred on the church of St Michael's which was founded before AD 640...
, situated approximately 10 miles from the valve house and which had previously suffered flooding which residents believed was caused by the station pumping water from the River Lune to the River Wyre. The tour of the valve house had been arranged by NWWA to alleviate public concern about the flooding. George Mann, chairman of NWWA, said that the tour was intended to have a "family flavour." The tour commenced at 7.20pm and the explosion occurred approximately 10 minutes later, with the first telephone call to the emergency services logged at 7.37pm. Oliver Chippendale, the supervisor of a pumping station on the River Lune had received a telephone call from George Lacey, the NWWA district manager conducting the tour, asking him to commence pumping, and a second call 5 minutes later saying that that no water was coming through and to activate a second, larger, pump. Twenty minutes later Chippendale called Abbeystead to check water was coming through and the telephone was answered by water engineer John Nelson who shouted "Get help! There has been a terrible disaster!" The force of the blast had lifted 30 concrete roof beams, each weighing 2.5 tons, upwards through the soil landscaping above them before they fell into the chamber below.
Inquest
An inquestInquest
Inquests in England and Wales are held into sudden and unexplained deaths and also into the circumstances of discovery of a certain class of valuable artefacts known as "treasure trove"...
into the deaths was held at Lancaster in October 1984. The jury returned a majority verdict of accidental death on all 16 victims.
Liability
In March 1987, at Lancaster High CourtLancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
, the building's designers Binnie & Partners were found to be 55 per cent liable in negligence for failing to exercise "reasonable care" in assessing the risk of methane. NWWA was found to be 30 per cent to blame for failing to ensure the plant was safe for visitors and employees by testing for methane and Nuttalls Ltd., who constructed the works, were found 15 per cent liable for failing to carry out systematic tests for methane. All three appealed, and ultimately Binnie & Partners were found solely liable. Leave to appeal to the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
was refused.