West Bromwich Lorry Explosion,
February 1962.
On February 6, 1962, an explosion rocked a West Bromwich housing estate destroying houses and cars. Fortunately, no one was killed but 28 people were slightly injured by the blast.
The explosion was caused by a combination of 355 gallons of Methyl Ethyl Ketone peroxide, 120 gallons Hydrogen peroxide in carboys and 10 bags of Sodium metasilicate, a coil of string and 36 metal bars exploded sending flying debris as far as 500 metres away. The driver of the Laport Chemicals lorry, Mr. John Walker, who was driving from Oldbury to Cheshire, saw smoke coming from his load parked up on waste ground in Friar Park and was in the Navigation pub phoning the emergency services the lorry exploded. The blast scattered debris over a 500 yard radius. It was reported by The Times that windows in the Birmingham Law Courts seven miles away were rattled by the blast and that it could be heard over fifteen miles from the site.
Six houses had to be demolished, over 100 more houses needed repairs in the Roberts Road & Friar Park area of West Bromwich. The Navigation pub was severely damaged. Thirteen cars were also destroyed.
Civil Defence volunteers from West
Bromwich, Birmingham and Walsall and an Industrial Civil Defence Service first aid and rescue teams from ICI Whitton were at
the scene of the explosion within 40 minutes of the Civil Defence call for the
"Catastrophe procedure" to be put in operation. They assisted the Fire Brigade and Police in rescuing casualties and afterwards helped council workers make the buildings safe by shoring up and demolishing damaged parts.
SOURCES:
(1) Birmingham Daily Post - Wednesday 07 February 1962
(2) Hartlepool Northern Daily Mail - Tuesday 06 February 1962
(3) Civil Defence diary, 1968.
(4) Civil Defence magazine Vol14 No.4 p8-9
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