The Westland Whitfield Avenue’s commmunity centre, Newcastle under Lyme has a 30-year-old gas boiler, which had not been checked for 2 years prior to March 2009, when a lethal incident was reported. Carbon Monoxide gas was reported to be leaking out of the flue in the loft.

While the Westland Community Centre was occupied by bridge players, gas smell alerted them to a suspected gas leak, and they reported the same to the fire service. The fire department found high concentrations of carbon monoxide escaping from the loft flue and immediately followed evacuation procedures.

On investigation, HSE inspectors found that the flue was broken and gas was escaping into a storeroom through a trap door. The situation deteriorated to this level because the AMCs on all gas appliances were over a year prior to the incident not only in the 38 properties of the council but also the 9 households in the Council’s jurisdiction had not been renewed!

The borough Council of Newcastle under Lyme was fined for negligence to the tune of £20,000 and costs up to £25,500 and more! They pleaded guilty to Part 1 of Section 3 of health and safety at the workplace etc Act of 1974 and to 1999’s 5th Work Regulation on Health & Safety management at the hearing at the Fenton Magistrate Court.

It was Inspector of HSE, Lynne Boulton who spoke soon soon after to say that about a score of people are fatally down annually due to poisoning while many more take ill directly because gas appliances are not serviced or checked regularly. Talking about this incident, he said the toll could have been high as the centre was frequented by many elderly people and vulnerable children!

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