Didcot Power Station collapse: Another year of waiting
It seems unbelievable that the exact same media headlines from a year ago could easily be republished word for word another year on from the Didcot Power Station disaster.
It is now NINE years since the collapse of a building on the site of the coal-fired Didcot A Power Station which had been decommissioned three years earlier and was in the process of being demolished after 43 years in operation. The site had previously generated enough electricity to meet the needs of two million households.
A major incident was declared at the site in south Oxfordshire following reports of an explosion at 4pm on 23rd February 2016. It was later confirmed that four men working on the site had been killed.
Ken Creswell was one of the deceased and last year, his daughter vowed to keep fighting until 'justice is done'. Unfortunately, she and the other families are still battling for answers and their MP for Rotherham, Sarah Champion's comment that the wait was 'appalling' still stands.
Thames Valley Police and the HSE said last year it was a 'complex' investigation, looking into suspicions of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and health and safety offences. But there still has been no report, no-one has been held responsible and there have been no answers.
At a pre-inquest review on paper in July 2021, the police said they had taken 2,429 witness statements and had 185,000 pieces of digital evidence.
I represented three of the bereaved families and know that all they have ever wanted are answers to why this accident happened. Decisive action by the relevant authorities may give them the answers they seek, but as another year rolls by, they must continue to wait.
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