Cinema falls on busy road during demolition

Grant Prior 14 years ago
Share

A Liverpool demolition contractor has been fined after poor work saw a disused cinema collapse onto a dual carriageway in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire.

Gaskells Demolition Services Ltd of Bootle was prosecuted after part of the Orion building fell onto the A587 during rush hour on Thursday 17 June 2010.

The art-deco building opened as a cinema on 24 November 1934, with more than 1,000 seats. It closed in 1961 and was used as a theatre before being converted into the Orion bingo hall in 1965. It was eventually shut for good in October 2009.

Gaskells was hired to demolish the building on Crescent West ahead of a supermarket being built on the site.

During the work, part of the building and scaffolding collapsed, blocking the two northbound lanes of the dual carriageway and the entire width of Runneymede Avenue for several hours.

No one was injured in the collapse but one pedestrian suffered a near-miss and a car was also damaged.

The HSE investigation found that, although the company had taken some precautions, it had failed to set up safe arrangements for the demolition such as an exclusion zone around the building.

It also failed to apply to the council for temporary road closures while the work took place.

The scaffolding put up along the front of the building was to allow workers to access it, rather than to support it.

Gaskells Demolition Services Ltd admitted safety breaches and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £3,000 in prosecution costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Anthony Polec said: “The risk of buildings unexpectedly collapsing is well known in the demolition industry but Gaskells failed to take adequate action to prevent lives being put in danger.

“The company should have put suitable measures in place to protect the public, such as applying to close the roads while the demolition work took place and setting up an exclusion zone to keep the public away.

“It could also have erected facade retention scaffolding that could support the building, rather than relying on employees to keep a lookout for passers-by.

“This was entirely inappropriate given the demolition work was taking place next to a busy dual carriageway on a weekday morning. It’s only luck that no one was seriously injured.”

Latest news

JRL close to deal on sale of stake to Far Eastern buyer

Equity sale plan to strengthen balance sheet and improve liquidity
1 day ago

ISG collapse brings down glazing contractor

All staff made redundant at Vitrine Systems Limited
19 hours ago

Cost of HS2 bat shed hits £100m

Construction costs revealed for Sheephouse Wood Bat Mitigation Structure
19 hours ago

Groundworks firm Corbyn files administration notice

Court notice lodged by £33m-turnover contractor
1 day ago

Vistry takes another £50m hit on build cost blunders

Second profit warning but problems contained in one division
1 day ago

Watkin Jones go-ahead for Leeds co-living project

Firm will convert former office block Headrow House into 230 homes.
1 day ago

United Utilities hunts for ground investigation specialists

£170m five-year framework deal out to tender
1 day ago

WSP names new chief for UK and Ireland

Paul Reilly promoted to UK president after just over two years at consultant
1 day ago

£125m cash injection for infrastructure at Barking Riverside

Home England funded works to boost 20,000-home development in east London
2 days ago

Subcontractors wanted across the North West

Register now to meet major buyers at Manchester event
1 day ago

Management buyout at joinery specialist TMJ Interiors

Founder James Taylor hands over reins to directors
2 days ago

Guinness Partnership starts race for £1bn housing deal

Housing association to renew preferred firms for 15-year housing retrofit programme
2 days ago

Rockwool plans new factory to ramp up output

Stone wool maker plans second factory in Midlands
2 days ago

McAleer & Rushe wins London City 670-room student job

Dominus confirms builder for 65 Holborn Viaduct
2 days ago

Electrician caught abusing covid loans

Middlesbrough spark subject to seven years of stringent bankruptcy restrictions
2 days ago

Wates hires Bouygues chief as MD for residential arm

Phillippa Prongue will replace Helen Bunch who retires
3 days ago

Civils powers on but house building falters

Buyers report "solid output growth" despite decline from record September
3 days ago

Multiplex tops October contracts league

£300m Glasgow Uni win tops big new orders
3 days ago

Key industry rebar supplier loses fight to stop factory closure

Kent rebar facility supplying 30% of UK rebar set to close
3 days ago

Vital Energi/Hemiko JV to build £1bn heat network for Westminster

Heat captured from the River Thames, Tube and sewers to warm Parliament
3 days ago

Plans in for Birmingham 300-bed student scheme

China Quarter stepped project will rise to 15 storeys
3 days ago

United Living looking to continue expansion

Record results as infrastructure and property spending flows
3 days ago

Paralysed builder stranded on floor for six hours after fall

Court hears how contractor failed to properly plan housing job
3 days ago

Network Rail scales back Liverpool Street station scheme

Architect changed and developer Sellar dropped as £1.5bn original plan scrapped
4 days ago

Muse JVs with pension fund insurer to build 3,000 homes

New Habiko business will build affordable low carbon, rental homes
4 days ago

£1.3bn revamp plan for South London shopping centre

Landsec plans 1,700 homes at Lewisham shopping complex site
4 days ago

Network Plus names new chief executive

Kevin Fowlie steps up to succeed founder Dan Holland
4 days ago

TanRo lands latest Clowes business park

Groundworks due to start in new year at 31-acre Harrier Park site
4 days ago

New consultant buys M&E specialist TACE

Contollo Group has ambitious growth plans over next five years
4 days ago

Skanska signs £197m deal for Mayfair offices job

South Molton job consists of two big office buildings
5 days ago

Contractor services