Flixborough: Museum appeals for fatal 1974 chemical blast memories

The explosion left 28 people dead and many more injured

Organisers of events to mark the 50th anniversary of one of Britain's worst peacetime explosions have appealed for help to compile a new exhibition.

Twenty-eight workers died and 36 were injured when a massive vapour cloud exploded at the Nypro chemical plant, near Flixborough, in 1974.

North Lincolnshire Museum, in Scunthorpe, intends to mark the 50th anniversary of the blast next year.

People are being asked to donate memories, photographs and objects.

The blast occurred at about 16:53 on Saturday 1 June, and was heard as far away as Grimsby and Doncaster.

It resulted in what was then the largest fire-fighting operation since the 1940s, with the site burning for several days.

The fire at the plant burned for several days and was then the largest fire-fighting operation since the 1940s

The blast blew out car windscreens and window panes and damaged property in the area.

The Nypro plant produced caprolactam, a raw material for Nylon 6 that is used in the manufacture of clothing, carpets, fishing nets and ropes.

An official report in to the explosion found the cause was a result of the failure of a temporary pipe.

The explosion caused significant damage to properties in the surrounding area

The museum said its planned exhibition commemorating the blast would tell the story of what happened on the day of the blast and the impact it had on people living in the area.

Flixborough 1974, which will run from May to November next year, will use eye-witness accounts, personal memories, photographs, video and historic objects.

People wanting to contribute have been asked to get in touch with the museum.