17.6.2000 News from Wigan

News Report Archive 17th June 2000

FIVE YEAR OLD SAVES FAMILY FROM BLAZE

A five year-old boy has helped to save the lives of his family by raising the alarm following an early morning fire in his home.
Alex Leach awoke to find his mum's room alight after a candle set fire to curtains in the upstairs bedroom of the house on Bradley Lane Standish.
The youngster, a pupil at St Wilfrid's Primary school shouted to his mum, 30 year-old Karen, that there was a fire in the room and she was able to grab Alex and his eight year-old brother Ian, who was asleep iin the next room and guide them to safety.
Karen's uncle, Vincent Leach,who was in another bedroom with her Auntie, Serena was then able to extinguish the fire which destroyed furniture clothing and personal possessions.
Karen said "I have always had candles since being a teenager. I usually put them out but I had lit a tea-light candle and forgotten about it. I never thought that something so small could have spread so quickly.
"Alex had had a bad dream and had got in bed with me, I was fast asleep when the fire started, but he woke me up shouting 'Mummmy, Mummy there's a fire'> He has been taught fires are dangerous, but for a five year-old I could not believe that he didn't panic because I did.
"If he had not been there and screamed and woken me up I would not have known anything about it. I owe him my life, we all could have died in the fire. You can replace material things but you cannot replace lives. I am so glad that I am alive and I am so proud of Alex."

FACTORY BLAZE CAUSES CHAOS

A massive blaze at an Appley Bridge factory caused chaos for local residents last Mon (12th).
Over 100 firefighters from three counties were drafted in to fight the fire at Ruberoid Building Products at about 3.30am.
Ten households situated opposite the Appley Lane North site were evacuated to relatives homes or local hotels and roads surrounding the site were cordoned off. The householders were allowed to return home on Monday afternoon but they and their neighbours were advised to keep their windows and doors closed.
Some train setrvices between Wigan and Southport were cancelled as massive plumes of black smoke filled the surrounding area, including the adjacent railway line.
Twenty fire engines and support unitsfrom Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside attended the scene and spent over two hours fighting the blaze which started in an external stocking area next to a building housing a roof-felt production line. Some stock was destroyed and some damage was caused to external cladding but the production facilities were not affected.
One firefighter from Skelmersdale sustained a suspected broken ankle while involved in pumping out water, but there were no further casualties.
Assistant chief fire officer for Lancashire Fire Service, Paul Richaardson, said the cause of the fire was still being investigated and technical and production specialists from the company were working closely with the emergency services. He said "Our main concern was to prevent the fire spreading to other buildings and neighbouring properties. We were also in contact with the environmental health officer about the smoke.
"One of the buildings had a sprinkler system which helped to prevent the fire from spreading but some bitumen tanks and cylinders did explode."
David Tilleray, environmental health officer for West Lancashire Council said "Our concerns were about the smoke and other potential health problems. It was a bitumen product, it was very smelly smoke but there was no toxicity, although we will continue to monitor.
"Some of the melted bitumen also got into the sewerage system and started to solidify. It has not been blocked but is hampered and will have to be cleared out."
Ruberoid's production director Terry Steadman said, "As we are awaiting a report from the emergency services it is difficult to be definitive about the cause of the fire. This is the first incident of it's kind in our long history of felt production at Appley Bridge. We are clearly concerned about the impact the incident has had on the local community and are talking to the local authorities and the Environmental Agency who advise that we have taken all possible precautionary measures to contain the situation. We are confident that normal production will be resumed in 24 hours."

CHILDREN LINE ROUTE OF COMMUNITY BOBBY'S FUNERAL

A Wigan community, touched by the life and work of a staunch local figure, lined the streets this week as a mark of respect.
Former police officer Chris O'Brien, who was well known for his work with Greater Manchester police and as a school governor died peacefully at his home on St Andrew's Drive, Wigan, on June the 8th at the age of 80.
Mr O'Brien touched the hearts of everyone he met, he was regarded as a 'very special man, working at the heart of the community' and 'his loss is enormous'.
He was active within the local community, and not just as a police officer where he achieved the rank of chief inspector by his retirement, but as a governor at St John Fisher High school for an outstanding 33 years.
He also served as vice-chairman of governors at Sacred Heart RC Primary and was a regular reader and Eucharist Minister at Sacred Heart Parish Church. Staff and pupils from both schools were among the hundreds who lined Springfield Road, from his home on St Andrew's Drive to Sacred Heart Church on the day of his funeral.
He was a member of Wigan and District Cancer Research Commitee for 16 years, six of them as chairman.
His many achievements were continually acknowledged by the local community and even by the Pope, John Paul II, when he was commended on retirement from governorship last September.
David Burnett, headteacher of St John Fisher said, "A summary of Chris's life will always be inadequate when reflecting on the achievments of such an active man. Chris would be the firat to acknowledge that his level of commitment was only possible with the support of Teresa during their 54 years of married life and that of Margaret and Terry, his daughter and son-in-law, all of whom he loved so dearly.
"Chris was a very special man working in the heart of the community. His life brought many blessings on many generations of local people. His loss is enormous but our only consolation is knowing that he has found the Lord."
Richard Humphreys, secretary of the National Association of Retired Police Officers, Wigan and District Branch, paid tribute to his former colleague, "Chris O'Brien was an excellent policeman who was dedicated to his work within the force. He was a great family man and a churchgoer who did a lot to help the local community. He was a true gentleman."

BURGER 'ROBBER' WAS A CUSTOMER

Staff at a drive-in burger restaurant raised the alarm believing they were about to be robbed when a motorcyclist stepped off his bike to collect his food.
Danny Barker, of Worsley Hall, climbed off his Honda CB500 at Burger King, Robin Park, only to spark a major security scare as service window shutters suddenly slammed down.
Twenty five year-old Danny was left standing in shock as customers looked on in disbelief at the embarassed biker.
He said, "I'd been waiting for about five minutes for the food so I decided to get off my bike and walk to the window, as soon as I did the shutters went down. The manager just said to me that they thought I was going to rob the place and I should understand why they thought that.
"They opened one of the shutters and gave me the food and then they were shut again. It was very embarassing for me at the time. I've been through there before quite a few times and nothing like that has ever happened.
"I'm very angry about it all. All they offered me as an apology was a free meal. I wouldn't say I look particularly intimidating in what I wear on my bike-it's the usual gear most bikers wear for safety reasons." He said "I would like to take it further, but I haven't got the money to take legal action against them. But sending a meal voucher just isn't good enough."
A spokesman for Burger King said, "It was late at night and the gentleman walked up to the hatch wearing his helmet which made the member of staff think it was a hold up. When he realised this wasn't the case he closed the window to go and get the food before returning as normally happens."

FACELIFT FOR HEART OF TOWN

Wigan's main shopping street is set for a Ł450,000 facelift as part of a major investment for the town.
Work has now started on the next round of massive improvements being carried out to the town centre.
Standishgate- the main shopping area is to benefit from massive facelift under the Wigan Town Centre European Local Action Plan, which is being paid for from money provided by Europe.
Major features of the scheme include:
attractive new paving using traditional materials
special tactile strips of paving to guide blind and partially sighted shoppers along routes that are clear of obstructions
better lighting
provision for fixing Christmas lights and decorations
new cycle parking facilities
raising the road level in upper Standishgate with infill paving blocks to help people move freely about the town centre.
The scheme has been hailed as a major investment in Wigan in Wigan and is part of the council's Centreplan strategy to ensure that the to ensure that the borough's town centres are vibrant prosperous places.
John Sloane, Wigan Metro's director of planning and development said, "Inevitably in such a major scheme in the heart of the town there will be some disruption while the works are carried out. The council apologises for this temporary inconvenience but hops are that the longer term benefits are recognised by everyone concerned."