Water Firm Pleads Guilty After Four Killed in Blast

A water firm has pleaded guilty to health and safety charges after an explosion at one of its sites killed four workers, including a teenage apprentice.

Luke Wheaton, 16, Ray White, 57, Brian Vickery, 63, and Mike James, 64, died in the blast in a silo at Wessex Water's treatment site in Avonmouth, Bristol, in December 2020.

An Avon and Somerset Police investigation into manslaughter was dropped in 2024 but the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertook its own investigation to determine if criminal offences had been committed under health and safety laws.

At a hearing at Bristol Magistrates' Court, Wessex Water pleaded guilty to three charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act. The charges were failing, between 2013 and 2020, to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees, failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare of someone other than an employee and failing to comply with a health and safety notice issued in 2021.

The explosion took place in a silo containing biosolids – recycled organic matter used by farmers as agricultural fertiliser. The four workers who died were on the roof of the silo when the explosion happened.

It is understood James was a contractor working at the site, while Vickery and White were employees of Wessex Water and Wheaton an apprentice at the firm.

After the hearing, HM Principal Inspector from HSE Simon Chilcott said the blast "should never have occurred". He said the investigation found that Wessex Water had made "clear, identifiable failures that could too reasonably have been prevented".

Wessex Water said it had "strengthened its safety performance since the explosion" and accepted it had fallen short of the required standards. The firm said it had established an independent Process Safety Board, created new internal roles to bring specialist expertise in-house and introduced additional training for employees working at sites where dangerous substances were present. Avonmouth has also been registered as a lower-tier Control of Major Accident Hazards Regulations (COMAH) establishment, subjecting it to stricter requirements and regulatory inspections.

The case has been referred to Bristol Crown Court where the next hearing is due to take place on 8 January. Wessex Water could be given an unlimited fine for its failures.