Haulier pays £63,000 for fire
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• A North Yorkshire haulier has been heavily fined after a devastating fire which began as a lorry was being loaded with a tank of liquified petroleum gas.
About 300 people were evacuated and damage estimated at 2300,000 was caused to the Bedale depot of Northern LPG Supplies, during the blaze on 28 December 1996, The company was fined 230,000 with £33,000 costs by Stokesley magistrates after it pleaded guilty through its chairman, Howard Illingworth, to two offences of failing to ensure the safety of employees and non-employees. Managing director Steven Adrian Walmsley was fined 26,000 with 21,000 costs after admitting the same two offences.
The fire began as employee Jeffrey Pedley tried to load an LPG tank on to a lorry with a crane. A valve on the tank bottom hit a strut, dislodged, and liquid escaped, When Pedley tried to stem the leak, liquid spurted out and formed G white cloud which reached the office, where it was ignited by heating vents. Pedley received 22% burns.