Warwickshire firefighters in court over deaths in Atherstone-on-Stour warehouse fire

Watch managers Paul Simmons, 49, from Hampton Magna near Warwick, and Adrian Ashley, 44, from Nuneaton, and station manager Timothy Woodward , 50, from Leamington, all face charges of manslaughter by gross negligence.

The charges follow the fire which engulfed the Wealmoor vegetable packing plant in Atherstone-on-Stour, south Warwickshire, in November 2007.

As crews tackled the huge fire, Simmons, Ashley and Woodward are all said to have acted as incident commanders “before, during and after” their colleagues were sent into the burning building.

The blaze claimed the lives of four firefighters who went into the warehouse - 20-year-old Ashley Stephens, 27-year-old John Averis, 24-year-old Darren Yates-Badley and 44-year-old Ian Reid.

The three defendants first appeared before magistrates in court number one at Warwick Crown Court at Warwickshire Justice Centre in Leamington – and then in the dock in the same courtroom sitting as the crown court.

During the first hearing the magistrates clerk announced that it was alleged the defendants unlawfully killed their colleagues “by gross negligence in that they owed them a duty of care in fulfilling their role and discharging their responsibility as incident commander at the scene of a fire”.

The case was adjourned for the remaining prosecution papers to be served on the defence and for defence lawyers to consider them and prepare defence statements prior to a plea and case management hearing on Friday August 12.

Ashley, Simmons and Woodward were all granted unconditional bail until the hearing.

Warwickshire County Council also faces a charge under the Health and Safety at Work Act of failing to ensure the health and safety of its employees.

This case will be dealt with at the crown court and has been adjourned for a formal committal hearing on Friday May 20.