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Trial over retirement village fire collapses

Richard Price
BBC News, West Midlands
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service The shell of a building which is consumed by flames, is being tackled by firefighters. There are cars and a tree in the foreground. Firefighters can be seen looking up towards the building and there are jets of water being sprayed into the inferno.Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
Beechmere retirement village was destroyed in the fire on 8 August 2019

A trial into alleged breaches of fire safety regulations by four companies in Cheshire has collapsed, with formal not guilty verdicts entered against six companies involved.

Beechmere retirement village in Crewe, which housed about 150 residents, was destroyed by a fire on 8 August 2019.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service initially pursued six firms, but action against two of them was subsequently dropped.

The trial against the remaining four began on Tuesday, but the fire service said it had "regrettably" decided to withdraw its prosecutions.

"Following extensive legal submissions heard over the first two days of the trial, unfortunately it became clear this morning that there would be no realistic prospect of securing convictions," chief fire officer Alex Waller said on Wednesday.

He added: "After carefully considering legal advice, regrettably we have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw our prosecution case against all four defendants."

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service An aerial view of a large burnt out building, its carcass still smouldering. There are fire crews with fire engines at various points around the structure.Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service
About 150 people lived at the retirement complex in Crewe

"We understand that former residents of Beechmere and their families will be disappointed with this outcome, which is not the one we have been working hard to achieve," Mr Waller said.

The four companies on trial were:

  • Avantage (Cheshire) Ltd - a subsidiary of Your Housing Ltd which was contracted to procure the design, build and finance of Beechmere and operate the village
  • Your Housing Ltd - employed staff at Beechmere and was responsible for fire safety measures at the site
  • Morgan Sindall Property Services Ltd - the facilities management subcontractor to Avantage with responsibility for repairs and maintenance
  • Total Fire Group Ltd - contracted to carry out fire risk assessments in August 2017 and August 2018 at Beechmere

Of the other two companies that were initially facing action, no evidence was offered against WSP UK Limited or MAC Roofing Ltd, according to a court representative, and not guilty verdicts were entered for both.

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