Residents tell of homes shaking in Linthwaite Grosvenor Chemicals blast

May 25 2010 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

RESIDENTS spoke of hearing an explosion “like a bomb” at Grosvenor Chemicals that shook their homes.

Carly Middleton, 22, and her six-year-old son Connor live on Manchester Road a few hundred yards from the site of the explosion at the firm in Lees Mill Lane at Linthwaite.

She said: “I heard the first bang between 1am and 1.30am but I thought it was just a firework so I ignored it. But the second bang, at 3.30am, sounded like someone had dropped a bomb. The blast vibrated my house.

“I looked out my back window and I could see all this fire and smoke. I was worried because we’re close to the factory, it was quite scary.

“I looked out the front window and saw all the fire engines parked up on Manchester Road. I went out to ask what had happened but no-one would tell me.”

Christine Garlick, of Manchester Road, was also unhappy about the lack of information. She said: “We heard the bangs but nobody came and told us to keep our windows shut.”

Gary Ellis, 36, who lives on Holywell off Manchester Road, agreed.

He said: “The firemen did their job but the police were nowhere to be seen. No-one told us we were in danger down here.”

Mr Ellis, who works as a mechanic, thought the sound of the first explosion was actually burglars trying to break into his house.

He said: “At about 1am I was woken up by this bang. I thought it was someone trying to break in so I went downstairs to check the door.

“Then I heard another bang and I looked out to see all this smoke everywhere, it was absolutely terrible.

“You couldn’t breathe the stuff and you couldn’t see because it was so thick. You could taste it on your mouth. It was very scary.”

Katie Marshall, 27, of Manchester Road, was also woken by the blast.