Dead steeplejacks had 'no chance'

The dead men were working on a chimney at the factory

Two steeplejacks died after they were engulfed in a ball of fire and fell 30 metres down a chimney, a court heard.

Paul Wakefield, 40, and Craig Whelan, 23, from Nottinghamshire, died while working on a 150-metre-high chimney at Carnaud Metalbox Food UK.

Preston Crown Court heard the incident happened in Westhoughton, Greater Manchester, in May 2002.

John Kither, 50, of Swansea, Ian Billington, 40, and Colin Stevens, 58, both of Bolton, deny manslaughter.

Mr Kither is the manufacturing engineering manager while Mr Billington is the technical manager of the site.

It was an intense fire and once ignited the men stood no chance of survival James Goss QC, prosecuting

James Goss QC, prosecuting, said two of the accused had ignored an e-mail from ICI warning residue coating the inside of the chimney was dangerous.

He said the two victims had been drilling holes into the chimney when it caught fire.

The steel ropes attaching the cradle they were standing on melted in the heat and the men fell to the ground.

He said: "It was an intense fire and once ignited the men stood no chance of survival.

"There was a minor explosion and the fire started and the men died."

'Gross negligence'

The court heard the chimney had become coated with a thick black residue after being used to release vapours created in the manufacture of paint and lacquer.

The only tests carried out on the residue were conducted in the factory workshop when staff heated the material for several minutes with an oxy-acetylene blow torch.

Mr Goss said he did not think the accused had intended to cause the death of the two steeplejacks.

But he added they had acted with "gross, even criminal, negligence".

He said a post-mortem examination revealed they had been killed by a combination of the force of the blast and the 30 metre fall.

The trial continues.