Gas fitter fined over Salford house blast

Emergency services at the scene of a gas explosion that ripped through a row of houses in Salford in 2010. Credit: PA

A gas fitter has been fined £1,000 over an explosion which injured 15 people and destroyed three terraced houses.

One woman, 75-year-old Marie Burns, was left fighting for her life after suffering severe burns at the centre of the blast in Irlam, Salford, on November 2, 2010.

Five children were among those who needed treatment.

Paul Kay, 30, of Warrington, Cheshire, today pleaded guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court to failing to ensure that a gas fitting was properly supported at Mrs Burns's home in Merlin Road.

The explosion peppered passers-by with debris and flying glass and one man's ceiling collapsed on him.

More than 40 firefighters and search and rescue team sniffer dogs scoured the scene for anyone trapped, but found no one.

A large cordon was thrown around the surrounding streets and 200 homes were evacuated.

The Health and Safety Executive said its investigation found Kay carried out work at Mrs Burns's house the day before the blast as part of a project to install new kitchens in several homes on the estate.

He needed to disconnect the gas meter so it could be removed from the bottom shelf on an old sink unit, said the HSE.

Kay then stacked up six bricks on the floor and rested the meter on them before he reconnected the gas supply.

This left the meter in an "unacceptable state" and increased the risk of a leak, according to the HSE.

Faulty piping work to the meter years earlier also contributed to the explosion, the court heard.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Philip Strickland said: ""Paul Kay's actions increased the risk of the explosion.

"The weak connection on the pipes leading to the gas meter meant there had been a risk of a gas leak at the property for several years, and the person responsible for that work would also have been prosecuted if we had been able to identify them.

"However, Paul Kay increased the risk of an explosion when he decided to rest the meter on a pile of bricks, rather than properly securing it to the wall or a raised platform on the floor.

"If registered gas engineers do not meet their legal duties they can expect to be held to account for their actions. They must apply their knowledge and skills on every job and make sure appliances and supplies are left safe for people to use."

Kay was also ordered to pay £500 prosecution costs.