News

Warwickshire Police have handed Wealmoor Atherstone's fruit and vegetable processing and packaging site back to the owners, after a fire last November destroyed the warehouse and killed four firemen.

Police said they had finished searching the remains of the building. Since November, police, health and safety officers, fire investigators and demolition experts have worked together to deconstruct the warehouse.

A spokesman from Wealmoor confirmed that the site had been handed back, but declined to give any more details.

More than 250 metric tonnes of debris were removed from the site for forensic examination.

Detective superintendent Ken Lawrence said the search had been "painstaking and meticulous", which is why it had taken so long, but it had been "worthwhile" as they did not want to miss anything.

The full cost of the operation and police investigation has been estimated at £2m.

Wealmoor has relocated the packaging of spring onions, green beans and peas from Atherstone to its Hayes or Greenford, Middlesex sites, or to competitors.

Supermarkets supplied by Wealmoor, including Asda and Sainsbury's, said that after a "few teething problems", deliveries had not been affected.

Wealmoor employed 211 people at the Atherstone-on-Stour warehouse and all 57 workers on the premises on the night of the fire were evacuated safely.