Nine Years On – Police statement on Didcot

On Sunday 23 February 2025, the demolition industry will mark the ninth anniversary of the Didcot Disaster in which four men – Mick Collings, Ken Cresswell, Christopher Huxtable and John Shaw – were killed.

In advance of that anniversary, Thames Valley Police has issued its latest annual statement.

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station.

Thames Valley Police and the Health and Safety Executive continue their joint investigation, led by the force, into the collapse.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said: “We today pay tribute to the four men who lost their lives following the partial collapse at Didcot Power Station and my thoughts remain with the families of Michael Collings, Ken Cresswell, Christopher Huxtable and John Shaw, who lost their lives.

“Our dedicated joint investigation team continues to make meaningful progress in this highly complex case which is actively investigating offences of corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter and Health and Safety at Work Act offences.

The scale of the investigation is almost unprecedented. To date, the investigation team has collated and analysed over 6,500 exhibits, 90,000 images, and 230,000 digital media artefacts.

Over 180 hours of video recorded witness and suspect interviews have been conducted, in addition to the 2,812 statements taken.

The investigation team also continues to conduct further interviews and, while we cannot put a specific timeframe on when the investigation will conclude, we are confident that we are moving towards the latter stages of our enquiries.

Our officers continue to provide regular updates to the families on the investigation progress, as well as to the Crown Prosecution Service.

We remain totally committed to investigating what happened at Didcot and providing the answers the families deserve. I want to thank them for their ongoing and unwavering support.”

The just funding the pursuit of the unjust

The Environment Agency’s decision to fund its efforts to combat waste crime by charging businesses that play by the rules has been branded illogical and unjust by aggregate producers.

The Mineral Products Association (MPA) — representing companies who legitimately recycle and reuse millions of tonnes of demolition and construction waste to produce recycled aggregate as part of the circular economy or to restore former quarry sites — has criticised the EA’s plan to impose a 10% levy on compliant firms’ waste permit fees to help tackle rogue operators.

Following a consultation which ran until late January, the levy is set to come into force on sites in England regulated by the EA from April 2025, at a time when regulatory fees paid by legitimate businesses have already reached an all-time high.

The decision to impose extra costs on waste permits has frustrated the UK’s mineral operators which are recognised worldwide as operating to very high environmental standards — whether that’s recycling waste into aggregate as part of a circular economy or putting it to good use to restore former quarry sites.

MPA Executive Director Mark Russell said: “This decision is illogical and unjust. It flies in the face of the Government’s drive to kickstart economic growth, and it will discourage investment in the circular economy. Why should businesses that operate to high environmental standards — yet are facing deteriorating quality of service from the regulator — pay even more to fund unrelated crime-fighting?

Read more here.

The Break Fast Show #886

In today’s tech-heavy show: Develon unveils a new materials handler; Caterpillar’s collision detection system; Hyundai’s digital guidance interface; and Zoomlion’s Smart City of the future.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Bauma and the rising tide of tech.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.

GUILTY

Three Keltbray managers accepted £600,000 in bribes.

Leading industry news portal Construction Enquirer is reporting this morning that three former Keltbray site managers have been found guilty of accepting £600,000 of bribes from a specialist labour supply agency.

The Keltbray managers, Michael McCarthy, Simon Lacey, and John Burke, were convicted of receiving the bribes, which represented a ‘breach of trust’ in their obligations to Keltbray.

Southwark Crown Court also found Arben Hysa, the owner of specialist demolition contractor Tony Demolition Workers (TDW), guilty of handing out kickbacks over a period spanning December 2012 and June 2018 to ensure his workers were used on Keltbray projects.

Andrew Cant from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “McCarthy, Lacey, and Burke ignored the rules in respect of their obligation to act in the interests of their employer Keltbray when dealing with external contractors by accepting significant sums of money from Arben Hysa.

“The CPS will now commence confiscation proceedings in order to reclaim the ill-gotten gains of the defendants’ crimes.”

The Break Fast Show #885

In today’s show: Rubble Crusher unveils its latest model; a walk around of the new articulated haulers from Volvo; a look back at a truly epic blast; and Walters is content with its new 370X excavator from JCB.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: They may be called a “digger driver”, but there is more to them than that.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.

BAM and Erith in legal spat

Construction News is today reporting of a legal spat between Brown and Mason and Erith over the awarding of a contract to demolish the Aberthaw Power Station in Wales.

Cardiff Council has admitted that it broke procurement law when it awarded the project to Erith after Brown and Mason brought a claim over “multiple breaches” of public procurement law.

Erith beat Brown and Mason to the job following an evaluation process, including an assessment of quantitative social value commitments.

But the latter firm’s lawyers argued that the council conducted its evaluation in a “non-transparent” manner.

Brown and Mason said the council failed to provide “any sufficient, clear and transparent statement of reasons” for its decision to select Erith.

For instance, Cardiff Council disregarded Brown and Mason’s “intended quantitative social value commitments”, the firm’s lawyers said.
Brown and Mason also argued that the council allowed Erith to amend its bid after the tender deadline, 20 January 2023, in contravention of procurement rules.

Relevant documents related to Erith’s bid “were not submitted and/or made accessible” to Brown and Mason until about six days after the tender deadline had expired, the particulars of claim document added.

Both Erith and Brown and Mason were among the 10 National Federation of Demolition Contractors’ members named in the Competition and Markets Authority probe into demolition collusion in March 2023.

Cardiff Council admitted liability in a hearing at the Technology and Construction Court on 31 January this year.

Brown and Mason is seeking damages from the local authority. Proceedings in that effort are ongoing.

The Break Fast Show #884

In today’s show: Bell rings the changes with its new grader; Caterpillar goes 3D in pursuit of grader precision; Volvo charges ahead with its electric machine charging unit; and Manitou takes the Rorschach test.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: The diary of a future worker, and what it says about the public perception of demolition and construction.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.

The Break Fast Show #883

In today’s show: Repowering the massive Liebherr R 9800; JCB Hydradig versatility in a US national park; a materials handler that you have probably never heard of; and a mini dozer goes subterranean.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Why are we allowing the demolition and construction sector to be throttled by bureaucracy, inefficiency, greed and lack of foresight?

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.

The Break Fast Show #882

In today’s show: A massive coal conveyor goes boom; making the CASE for side-shift backhoes; Komatsu gets Smart; and a fashion shoot like no other.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Why do we long for the machines and memories of the past?

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.

The Break Fast Show #881

In today’s show: JCB adds another model to its mini excavator line-up; we’re sticking with minis as we visit a very satisfied Takeuchi customer; Dynapac triggers a seismic shift in compaction technology; Allu is a screen star; and Cat is bringing the tech to Bauma 2025.

PLUS in Mark’s Morning Monologue: Hey, teacher. Throw those kids a bone.

Join host Mark Anthony LIVE for The Break Fast Show; the world’s only daily LiveStream show dedicated to demolition, construction and construction equipment.

In each interactive episode, we’ll deliver your daily fix of news, views, video and comment from across the sector and around the world.

Take part in our Question of the Day, try to identify the Mystery Machine, and be sure to stick around for Mark’s Morning Monologue and the chat in our after-show discussion session, The Craic.