UK blast: Wessex Water admits charges over four worker deaths
Wessex Water admitted three criminal health and safety charges at Bristol Magistrates' Court after an explosion at an Avonmouth silo killed four workers.
British utility firm Wessex Water has pleaded guilty to three criminal health and safety offences following a deadly silo explosion that killed four workers in Bristol.
The blast occurred in December 2020 inside a biosolids silo at the company's water recycling centre in Avonmouth. The victims included 16-year-old apprentice Luke Wheaton, alongside Ray White, Brian Vickery, and Mike James. Although Avon and Somerset Police dropped a manslaughter investigation in 2024, the Health and Safety Executive pursued regulatory prosecution.
At Bristol Magistrates' Court, the firm admitted failing to protect worker welfare and breaching safety notices. District Judge Lynn Matthews referred the complex proceedings to Bristol Crown Court for sentencing on 8 January.
Source: BBC News
