Six years after two firefighters were killed in a fireworks explosion at Marlie Farm near Lewes in Sussex, their families’ long fight for compensation reaches the High Court next week.
A three week trial of the case against East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) starts this Monday, 25 February, at 11.30am, at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand.
The explosion on 3 December 2006 killed firefighters Geoff Wicker and Brian Wembridge, and their families have not received any compensation.
The union’s executive council member for the South East, Jim Parrott, also attended the incident, and he said before the trial began:
“ESFRA are guilty of sending their personnel to Marlie Farm ill-prepared and poorly resourced for dealing with fires involving fireworks. The deaths and injuries should not have happened.”
The union’s general secretary Matt Wrack said: “Six years is too long for the relatives of the dead firefighters to wait. They continue to pay the price of the authority’s failings.”
NOTES FOR EDITORS
The FBU acts for the family of one of the deceased firefighters, Brian Wembridge, and for eight others who were injured in the blast. FBU officials are available to provide commentary during and after the trial.
