Dairy firm fined for cheese factory explosion

A DAIRY firm has been ordered to pay more than £56,000 following a major explosion at its cheese factory in Cumbria.

The boiler house at Aspatria Creamery, on Station Road in Aspatria, was partially destroyed in the blast in July 2010, which threw debris more than 100 metres across the site.

No one was injured in the incident despite the force of the explosion lifting the roof off the building and blowing out part of two ground floor walls.

The First Milk Cheese Company, based in Wrexham, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found a blocked vent on the calorifier – a water heating and storage system – had caused it to explode.

At Carlisle Magistrates Court on August 15 First Milk pleaded guilty to a breach of the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations 2000 by failing to ensure the vent pipe on the calorifier was kept clear.

The company was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £36,064 in prosecution costs.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE Inspector Michael Griffiths said: “It is extremely fortunate that no one was seriously injured or even killed in the explosion, which was powerful enough to destroy part of the boiler house.”