THE HEALTH and Safety Executive said it would “take time to reflect” following a Chippenham gas explosion court case.
A district judge at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court this week found surveyor Roderick Standing, 63, the principal contractor in the redevelopment of a Market Place building that was heavily damaged in the 2017 blast, not guilty of breaking health and safety rules.
The judge, Tim Pattinson, said he could not be sure that Standing’s company, Longwood Building Limited, had done any work on the gas heating system.
READ MORE: Judge's comments in Chippenham gas explosion case
Speaking outside the Salisbury court after the case, HM Inspector of Health and Safety Leo Diez of the Health and Safety Executive said: “This was a thorough and complex investigation. We have noted the judge’s comments today and we need time to reflect on them.”
No further criminal proceedings are being taken against others involved in the redevelopment or management of the Chippenham building, including the property’s owner Lady Sheila Ferris.
However, the family of the young man left with 90 per cent burns in the blast, Kyle Roe, are understood to be pursuing civil action.
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