Firefighter deaths: Bosses deny charges of manslaughter

Three fire service managers have pleaded not guilty to charges relating to the deaths in a warehouse blaze in 2007.

Two of the three facing charges of manslaughter by gross negligence are from the Leamington and Warwick area.

They are Timothy Woodward, 51, who is a station manager from Leamington, and Paul Simmons, 45, from Hampton Magna.

The third man charged is Adrian Ashley, 50, from Nuneaton.

Ashley Stephens, 20, John Averis, 27, and Darren Yates-Badley, 24, died as they tried to tackle a fire at a warehouse in Atherstone-on-Stour. Ian Reid, 44, died later in hospital.

The jury at the trial at Stafford Crown Court was told this week that water sprinklers had not been connected at a warehouse.

Andrew Tenney, a manager at the warehouse, said he had raised concerns over fire safety measures.

The court also heard that fire doors were not fitted at the warehouse.

The prosecution claim that the three fire service managers failed to assess the risks properly, failed to review the way they tackled the fire and also failed to withdraw the breathing apparatus teams when it was obvious the situation was deteriorating.

The trial is expected to last up to ten weeks.