B&Q warehouse

[John]

Yes - it was a really big fire 2 - 3 weeks ago. The place was really wrecked - near Burton upon Trent.

10:39 - 16 February 2006

Asbestos is no longer in the air around parts of east Staffordshire and south Derbyshire following a fire at a B &Q distribution centre.

Debris from the roof of the warehouse in Burton Road, Branston, which contained asbestos, had been found as far away as Stapenhill and Newhall following the blaze last week.

South Derbyshire District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council received hundreds of calls from worried residents who had found the substance in their gardens.

Firefighters and the two councils reassured people that they were not in danger from the asbestos as it is Chrysotile, a common serpentine asbestos that is considerably less hazardous than other varieties.

Now the councils have confirmed that the air surrounding the site, where an estimated £21m of damage was caused, is free of asbestos fibres.

Both councils carried out tests on air samples from the area, in conjunction with the site owners, TNT.

Councillor Steve Taylor, South Derbyshire's chairman of the environmental and development services committee, said: "This is excellent news for the people of South Derbyshire.

"We now have the all-clear that asbestos is not contaminating the air in Newhall and Midway.

"We have collected over 250lbs of asbestos as we have responded to hundreds of calls."

Robert Morgan, East Staffordshire's environmental health team leader, said: "We are satisfied that the area is free of asbestos fibres, but there are still areas where the asbestos material is still to be cleared up."

[Nigel Molesworth]

I was expecting a delivery from B&Q at the weekend, they are now claiming that the warehouse burnt down. Anyone else heard this?

[John]

From the Derby Telegraph 16:30 - 07 February 2006

Up to 60 firefighters today tackled a blaze which destroyed a B &Q distribution centre in Branston.

The building, which was used to store kitchen products, caught fire at

1am and heat from the blaze woke people in neighbouring houses.

Flames billowed 100ft into the sky and ash was strewn across houses near to the warehouse in Burton Road.

During the early hours, two fire crews knocked on doors advising people to stay inside and a contingency plan was put together in case people had to be evacuated.

A mile-long pipe was used to pump water from the River Trent and firefighters, who spent the morning putting out the fire, were expected to start damping down later today.

Ten crews, including two with aerial platforms, tackled the blaze.

There were 109 emergency phone calls from people who had spotted the flames.

Station commander David Agu, who was drafted in from Newcastle under Lyme to help fight the fire, said: "When we arrived, half the building was well-alight but because the building is open plan it continued to travel through.

"We had to be cautious because there were forklift trucks in the building which are powered by gas cylinders, although they weren't affected.

"No firefighters went in because the building was too dangerous."

A small number of B &Q staff were evacuated from the warehouse before the fire service arrived and no-one was injured.

Richard Hill (35), who lives next to the warehouse, said: "At first I thought hail was hitting my bedroom window but it was actually the roof of the warehouse which was crackling.

"You can open my window without getting out of bed and when I put my hand up you could feel the heat straight away."

Scott Cooper (33), who lives opposite, added that when he went to move his car he burnt his hand because the door handle was so hot.

He said: "Everyone was out in the street knocking on their neighbours' doors, making sure that everyone was alright."

Kay Dyche (47), of Glencroft Close, said that the fire had woken her up because she could also hear crackling flames.

She said: "I looked out of the window and, at first, I thought people's houses were on fire because I could see flames.

"Smoke and ash was billowing everywhere and it was awful."

A B &Q spokeswoman said it was too early to know what the knock-on effects of the fire would be.

She said: "It is a major fire and it affected one unit or shed on the site which had our kitchen products in it."

The cause of the fire is still being investigated.

[Nigel Molesworth]

Thank you.

Bugger, I guess I'll have to wait again.

[Chris Bacon]

That's very interesting. People from the Burton on Trent shouldn't have any trouble at their tidy tips any more, 'cos I'm sure the council take their own advice. Snort!

[Peter Andrews]

I was in B&Q last week trying to source a new kitchen and was told normal 6 week delivery is now at least 12 weeks. A fellow shopper said he had been laid off by B&Q for 5 weeks (he said he fits their kitchens) as there was no stock. He was trying to get a few units for his own kitchen!!

Peter

[Cuprager]

Yes, my kitchen was in that warehouse :-(

[Richard Conway]

Did you leave the chip pan on or something ? :)

[Chris Cowley]

Yes, it happened the day after our kitchen was delivered; uncharacteristically lucky for me. I read somewhere that they've lost an estimated 7 million quid's worth of stock.

I hope you're not left waiting too long.

[Boysie]

This time it's not BS. The warehouse is at Burton on Trent with a major fire a few days ago, they're still collecting asbestos from the roof from miles around. When you'll get your gear is anyone's guess. Personally I'd cancel and look elsewhere, unless you've a month or four to spare. I'd imagine that B&Q are in something of a blue funk at the moment.

Regards

Boysie