Didcot collapse investigation in ‘latter stages’ – after nine years

Detectives investigating the Didcot Power Station collapse in which four men died have said the probe is entering its “latter stages”, as the ninth anniversary of the tragedy approaches.

Coleman & Company employees Ken Cresswell, 57, Chris Huxtable, 34, John Shaw, 61, and Mick Collings, 53, died when the 10-storey high boiler house at the former power station collapsed as they were preparing it for demolition.

Five others were injured in the incident on 23 February 2016.

A joint investigation by Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) was launched immediately afterwards.

It is now the longest-running investigation in the history of the police force. No one has been charged over the incident and no specific safety lessons have been released to guide the demolition industry.

This week, Thames Valley Police deputy chief constable Ben Snuggs said the team is “confident that we are moving towards the latter stages of our enquiries”, though he said it still cannot put a timeframe on when the investigation will finish.

Snuggs said the scale of the “highly complex case” is “almost unprecedented”.

He revealed that detectives have carried out more than 180 hours of video interviews of witnesses and suspects and taken 2,812 statements.

They have also collated and analysed more than 6,500 exhibits, 90,000 images, and 230,000 digital media artefacts, the senior officer added.

Investigators are looking into possible offences of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and Health and Safety at Work Act offences.

A force spokesperson said “a number of suspects” have been “nominated” and as they do not meet the legal necessity for arrest, have attended voluntary interviews.

“The investigation team is working closely with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to progress the investigation, but no charging decisions have yet been made,” he said.

Snuggs added: “We remain totally committed to investigating what happened at Didcot and providing the answers the families deserve.”

Hoping for answers

The police comments came after daughters of two of the men spoke about their hopes that they will finally get answers about why their fathers were killed.

Chris Huxtable’s daughter Tia Huxtable is now 20 years old. She was 11 when her father, from Swansea, died.

She told Construction News that her whole world came crashing down on 23 February 2016.

“Nine years on, and still to this day I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get over what happened but trying to live with it is a battle, and I know I do my dad proud and that’s what keeps me going.

“I know he sends me all the strength and guidance I need to get through this heartbreak. We will not give up until justice is served for our men. No one should have to go to work and never return home.

“I never want this to be forgotten about as the health and safety experts need to make sure that this never happens again,” she said.

Huxtable added that her father remains her “hero”, nine years after his passing.

Sadie Cresswell is now 33, she was 24 when the collapse took place.

She told CN: “As a family we are fully committed to supporting Thames Valley Police, the HSE and CPS get to the bottom of the case as much now nine years on as we were from February 2016.

“All we can do is wait and hope justice prevails at some point for our beloved, hardworking dad, husband and grandad. Bless the Didcot four.”

Ken Cresswell and John Shaw were both from Rotherham, South Yorkshire.

Last year Rotherham MP Sarah Champion called for the policing minister to explain why the investigation is taking so long.

This week she reiterated that the victims’ families deserve to know the truth about what happened.

“The investigation into the Didcot collapse is of course hugely complex and I do not underestimate just how challenging a task it has been,” she told CN.

“But the families of the victims have been waiting for nine long years to find out what happened to their loved ones. They deserve to know the truth and to see those responsible held to account.

“I will continue to do all that I can to support them, however long it may take.”

Contractor Coleman & Company, now trading as Colemans, was contacted for comment but did not respond before this article went live. It said in recently released accounts that it “continues to co-operate fully with all involved” in the investigation.

“Based upon rigorous inquiries undertaken by independent specialists and on professional advice, the directors do not believe the company is responsible for the cause of the incident,” it added.

A spokesperson for RWE, the client on the job (as RWE nPower), told CN that representatives would lay flowers at a nearby memorial bench to mark the ninth anniversary.

She added: “Our thoughts remain with the families of the four men who died in this tragic incident. We continue to cooperate fully with Thames Valley Police. However, while the investigations are ongoing it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.”