Mill explosion victims commemorated 10 years on

Will Barks, Derek Moore, Jason Shingler and Dorothy Bailey (left to right) were killed in the explosion

People living near the site of a mill explosion in Cheshire gathered together, along with former mill staff, to mark the tragedy's tenth anniversary on Thursday.

The names of the four people who died at Wood Flour Mill in Bosley, near Congleton, are etched in stone in a memorial garden near the site of the plant, which was torn apart on 17 July 2015.

Dorothy Bailey, William Barks, Derek Moore and Jason Shingler were believed to be working in the upper floors of the mill when the explosion and subsequent fire reduced the four-storey building to rubble.

A company executive was fined and received a suspended jail term in 2021.

Matthew Bailey, son of Dorothy Bailey, said it was hard thinking about the events which those who had lost their lives had missed over the past decade.

His mother was the "life and soul of the party" he said, and "the best mum in the world".

Matthew Bailey, son of Dorothy Bailey, says he thinks about what happened almost every day

"You still think about them every day," Mr Bailey said.

He added that he sometimes "hated" revisiting the area.

"I come down here to the graveyard, put flowers on and then I turn around.

"I dread going down to the mill, I don't like going down, I don't like seeing the house as it is now, I don't like seeing the mill - it brings back the memories."

Philip Grimwood says he took the roll call on the day and was left with four clock cards in his hand

Philip Grimwood had worked at the mill for more than 30 years and was working in another building nearby on the day of the explosion.

He is one of a number of people who plan to remember the anniversary.

"I went down the road and I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said.

"I actually took the roll call and I was left there with four people's clock cards in my hand, so that wasn't good.

"Nothing prepares you for anything like that, it was devastating."

He said he still often thinks about what happened, and knew all those who died very well.

A tribute to the workers who lost their lives has been installed in Bosley between Macclesfield and Congleton

Mr Barks, from Leek, Staffordshire, was "like a brother" he said, while Ms Bailey, from Bosley, Cheshire, was his neighbour for a number of years.

Mr Shingler and Mr Moore, from North Rode in Cheshire and Stoke-on-Trent respectively, were also "really good friends" of his.

Mr Grimwood, who now works as an electrician in Mobberley, said it was "an absolute disgrace" that the site had been left crumbling.

"It's just been let go and the cottages across the road, they've been derelict and the big house that's derelict, and they've done nothing with the site to tidy it up or make it look better. It's a crying shame."

The blaze is said to have covered an area measuring 80m by 40m (87 yards by 43 yards)

Temperatures reached 1,000C in the blast and it was described by rescuers as the "worst incident of its kind" in a decade.

As well as those killed, a woman was taken to hospital with "serious but not life-threatening injuries", according to the fire service.

Two men who were taken to hospital were reported to have been in a stable condition while another was discharged with minor injuries.

In addition, Cheshire Police said 35 people were assessed at the scene, with four people treated for breathing difficulties.

It is now a decade since the incident, with the scars of what happened still visible in the village of Bosley

The site had previously been hit by fires in 2010 and 2012.

The building contained heating oil, kerosene, acetylene and asbestos. There was also a silo containing highly flammable wood flour used for making wood laminate flooring.

The owners, Wood Treatment Ltd, had been served with five improvement notices by the HSE in 2013 and 2014.

Four of the notices said the firm had "failed to ensure that the risk from fire or explosion" from gas tanks on site had been eliminated or reduced.

Following inspections a few months later, all the improvements had been made and the health and safety notices complied with.

In June 2021, the firm's managing director George Boden was given a nine-month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, over the 2015 blast.

He was also fined £12,000 and the company was fined £75,000.