Avonmouth explosion

Last updated

Avonmouth explosion
Avonmouth Explosion Silo Aftermath.jpg
The silo that exploded, as seen from Kings Weston Lane
Date3 December 2020
Time11:20 GMT
VenueBristol Bioresources and Renewable Energy Park
Location Avonmouth, Bristol, United Kingdom
Coordinates 51°30′46″N2°40′35″W / 51.51264°N 2.67641°W / 51.51264; -2.67641
Deaths4
Non-fatal injuries1

On 3 December 2020, at about 11:20 GMT, a silo containing biosolids exploded in Avonmouth, Bristol, UK, killing four men, including a 16-year old apprentice, [1] and injuring another person. [2] Avon and Somerset Police declared a major incident, [3] [2] and a doctor and specialist paramedic in critical care from the nearby Great Western Air Ambulance headquarters attended the incident by both their rapid response car and emergency helicopter. [4] [3]

The sewage treatment and food waste site is operated by GENeco, [5] a subsidiary of Wessex Water. [3] [6] Its products include biomethane produced by anaerobic digestion, which is supplied to bus operators, among them Bristol Community Transport who operate one of the MetroBus routes. [7] [5]

Unconfirmed evidence obtained by The Bristol Cable suggests the men were using angle grinders on the top of a silo where methane could have accumulated, without adequate controls to prevent ignition. [8] The official investigation remains in progress as of December 2021. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Parkway railway station</span> Railway station in Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire, England

Bristol Parkway, on the South Wales Main Line, serves the villages of Stoke Gifford and Harry Stoke in South Gloucestershire, England. Despite its name, it is located in Gloucestershire rather than Bristol itself. It is 112 miles (180 km) from London Paddington. The station was opened in 1972 by British Rail and rebuilt in 2001. It is the third-most heavily used station in the West of England combined authority area, after Bristol Temple Meads and Bath Spa. There are four platforms, and a well-equipped waiting area. The station is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide most of the trains at the station, with CrossCountry providing the rest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avonmouth</span> Port and suburb of Bristol, England

Avonmouth is a port and outer suburb of Bristol, England, on the north bank of the mouth of the River Avon and the eastern shore of the Severn Estuary. Part of the Port of Bristol, Avonmouth Docks is important to the region's maritime economy, hosting large vessels for the unloading and exporting of heavier goods. Much of the land use is industrial, including warehousing, light industry, electrical power and sanitation. The M5 motorway bisects the neighbourhood, with junctions onto the A4 road and M49 motorway, and it has stations on the Severn Beach Line railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Severn Beach line</span> Railway in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England

The Severn Beach line is a local railway line in Bristol and Gloucestershire, England, which runs from Bristol Temple Meads to Severn Beach, and used to extend to Pilning. The first sections of the line were opened in 1865 as part of the Bristol Port Railway and Pier; the section through Bristol was opened in 1875 as the Clifton Extension Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pilning railway station</span> Railway station near Bristol, England

Pilning railway station is a minor station on the South Wales Main Line near Pilning, South Gloucestershire, England. It is 10 miles (16 km) from Bristol Temple Meads and is the last station on the English side before the Severn Tunnel through to Wales. It is managed by Great Western Railway, who provide the two train services per week from the station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stapleton Road railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Stapleton Road railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city district of Easton in Bristol, England. It is 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is SRD. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nailsea & Backwell railway station</span> Railway station near Bristol, England

Nailsea & Backwell railway station, on the Bristol to Exeter line, is in the village of Backwell, close to the town of Nailsea in North Somerset, England. It is 8 miles (13 km) west of Bristol Temple Meads railway station, and 126 miles (203 km) from London Paddington. The station, opened in 1841 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, has two platforms but little in the way of facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. The company provides all train services at the station, mainly hourly services between Bristol Parkway and Weston-super-Mare, and between Cardiff Central and Taunton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montpelier railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Montpelier railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the district of Montpelier in Bristol, England. It is 2.85 miles (4.59 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is MTP. The station has a single platform, serving trains in both directions. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifton Down railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Clifton Down railway station is on the Severn Beach line and serves the district of Clifton in Bristol, England. It is 3.9 miles (6.3 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is CFN. The station has two platforms, each serving trains in one direction only. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Redland railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Redland railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the districts of Cotham and Redland in Bristol, England. It is 3.3 miles (5.3 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is RDA. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Mills railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Sea Mills railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the districts of Sea Mills, Stoke Bishop, Sneyd Park and nearby Westbury on Trym in Bristol, England. It is 6 miles (9.7 km) from Bristol Temple Meads, situated at the confluence of the River Avon and River Trym and near the A4 Bristol Portway. Its three letter station code is SML. The station has a single platform which serves trains in both directions. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirehampton railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Shirehampton railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and serves the district of Shirehampton in Bristol, England. It is 7.6 miles (12.2 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is SHH. The station has a single platform which serves trains in both directions. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes in each direction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Avonmouth railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Avonmouth railway station is located on the Severn Beach Line and serves the district of Avonmouth in Bristol, England. It is 9 miles (14 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is AVN. The station has two platforms, on either side of two running lines. As of 2015 it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the third franchise to be responsible for the station since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly a train every 30 minutes to Bristol Temple Meads and one every hour to Severn Beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Hill railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Lawrence Hill railway station is on the Severn Beach Line and Cross Country Route, serving the inner-city districts of Easton and Lawrence Hill in Bristol, England. It is 1.0 mile (1.6 km) from Bristol Temple Meads. Its three letter station code is LWH. The station has two platforms, four running lines and minimal facilities. It is managed by Great Western Railway, the seventh company to be responsible for the station and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, the standard service being two trains per hour along the Severn Beach Line and an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Filton Abbey Wood.

Wessex Water Services Limited, known as Wessex Water, is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving an area of South West England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Bristol, most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Wessex Water supplies 1.3 million people with around 285 million litres of water a day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedminster railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Bedminster railway station is on the Bristol to Exeter line and serves the districts of Bedminster and Windmill Hill in Bristol, south-west England. It is 0.9 miles (1.4 km) to the west of Bristol Temple Meads, and 119 miles (192 km) from London Paddington. Its three letter station code is BMT. It was opened in 1871 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, was resited slightly further to the west in 1884 and was rebuilt in 1932. The station, which has three through-lines and two island platforms, but minimal facilities, is managed by Great Western Railway who operates all train services that serve the station, mainly an hourly service between Avonmouth and Weston-super-Mare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parson Street railway station</span> Railway station in Bristol, England

Parson Street railway station serves the western end of Bedminster in Bristol, England. It also serves other surrounding suburbs including Bishopsworth, Ashton Vale and Ashton Gate, along with Bristol City FC. It is 2 miles (3.2 km) from Bristol Temple Meads, and 120 miles (193 km) from London Paddington. Its three letter station code is PSN. It was opened in 1927 by the Great Western Railway, and was rebuilt in 1933. The station, which has two through-lines and two platforms, plus one freight line for traffic on the Portishead Branch Line, has minimal facilities. As of 2020, it is managed by Great Western Railway, which is the sixth company to be responsible for the station, and the third franchise since privatisation in 1997. They provide all train services at the station, mainly an hourly service between Bristol Parkway and Weston-super-Mare.

The majority of public transport users in the Bristol Urban Area are transported by bus, although rail has experienced growth and does play an important part, particularly in peak hours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wessex Bus</span> Bus operator in the West of England

Wessex Bus was a bus operator in the West of England that operated from June 2007 until September 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Bus Company</span> British bus operator operating in Bath and Cardiff

The Bath Bus Company is a bus operator in the United Kingdom which runs open top tours in Bath, Bristol and Cardiff, and the 'Bristol Air Decker' service between Bath and Bristol Airport. The company has been a subsidiary of the French RATP Group since 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bio bus</span> Biomethane-powered vehicle

Bio-Bus is the UK's first bus powered entirely by human faeces and food waste.

References

  1. "Avonmouth explosion: Boy, 16, among four workers killed". BBC News. 4 December 2020. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 Morris, Steven (3 December 2020). "Four dead after explosion at Avonmouth water plant in Bristol". The Guardian . Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 "Avonmouth explosion: Four dead in Bristol water works blast". BBC News. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  4. "Great Western Air Ambulance crew responds to major Avonmouth incident". Great Western Air Ambulance Charity. 3 December 2020. Retrieved 21 December 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Biomethane bus refuelling station builds on the legacy of the Bio-Bus". GENeco. 18 July 2019. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  6. "GENeco Limited – Annual Report and Financial Statements". Companies House. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  7. "Bristol Community Transport unveiled as Metrobus m1 operator". HCT Group. Archived from the original on 14 December 2018.
  8. "New details revealed about fatal Avonmouth explosion at Wessex Water plant". The Bristol Cable. 11 August 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  9. "Avonmouth explosion: Investigations ongoing into blast which killed four". ITV News. 3 December 2021. Retrieved 17 June 2022.