Blast inquest told of 'minor' pipe erosion

A boiler inspector has admitted there was minor erosion on pipes inside a boiler that later exploded and killed a 52-year-old Shropshire man.

But Archibald Carrick, giving evidence yesterday at an inquest on Robert Howe, insisted that he had not missed "glaring problems" with the equipment in the boiler at the county sugar beet factory.

Father-of-one Mr Howe, of Wellington, died after suffering horrendous burns from a catastrophic explosion at British Sugar's Allscott plant on March 2, 2003.

Experts have told the inquest, opened this week at the Park Inn in Telford, that they believe the gradual erosion of a pipe by a soot blower, inside the boiler, was the cause of the accident.

Mr Carrick, an engineer surveyor employed by Royal & SunAlliance, said he had inspected the boiler in April 2002.

He said he had not been able to check all the pipes because some of them were too far back to reach.

But he said his work was supported by hydrolic pressure tests on the pipes by British Sugar.

Barrister Bernard Thorogood, representing British Sugar, asked Mr Carrick why there were differences between the information in his statement and at the inquest.

In a statement after the inspection, Mr Carrick said he had found no signs of erosion to the pipes.

But yesterday he admitted there had been some signs of erosion, but nothing great enough to warrant him officially telling his employers or British Sugar.

Mr Carrick said: "I meant there were no significant signs of erosion."

Mr Thorogood said: "You don't look back and accept you missed glaring problems?

"The truth is that you said nothing to anybody at British Sugar about soot blower erosion because you missed it - that's the truth."

Mr Carrick denied the claims and insisted he had done a good job.

The hearing continues.

By Lizzie Yates