Distillery blaze results in £270,000 fine

Alcohols Ltd has been fined £270,000 after a blaze at its distillery in 2012 hospitalised a member of staff and caused around 200 local residents to flee their homes.

Alcohols Ltd has been fined £270,000 after breaching the Health and Safety Act

Alcohols Ltd, which is responsible for the production of 80 brands of gin, appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court to admit two breaches of the Health and Safety Act.

The fire, which occurred at the firm’s site in Langley Green, Birmingham, was reportedly so serious that it caused nearby lamp-posts to melt and required more than 100 firefighters to extinguish.

The court heard that one employee sustained 20% burns to his hands, head and neck in the incident.

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the fire was caused by a discharge of static electricity while ethyl acetate was being moved from a storage tank into a container.

The court heard that a report had already highlighted safety issues at the site, but the explosion happened before repairs could be undertaken.

Alcohols Ltd told the BBC: “Since the incident we have conducted a thorough review of all our systems, cooperated fully and openly with the investigatory bodies and done our utmost to reassure local residents and the community.

“The safety and well being of our employees and the public remain our foremost concern.”

The company, which is one of the UKs last remaining independent family owned distilleries dating back to 1805, was also ordered to pay £25,009 costs.