Families mourn justice delay
The FACK families against corporate killers campaign has expressed concern that six years of investigation into the collapse of Didcot boiler house by the police, the HSE, and the Crown Prosecution Service has not resulted in a conclusion. The collapse, in February 2016, killed experienced demolition workers Mick Collings, Chris Huxtable, Ken Creswell and John Shaw, burying them under tonnes of rubble. They were employed by contractor Colemans to demolish Didcot power station.
FACK facilitator Hilda Palmer said the families need answers to their questions about how and why their loved ones died. Lessons must be learnt, to ensure the safety of workers involved in the future demolition of old power stations, and anyone bearing responsibility must be held to account, she added.
“The longer this goes on the harder it is for the families, other demolition workers are at risk, and it becomes less likely that any justice will be delivered,” said Palmer. She acknowledged difficulties due to the uniqueness and complexity of the investigation, as well as the “enormous amount of resources” committed. But while commending the work of the HSE and Thames Valley Police, she said “after six years we are entitled to ask, how much longer?”