Fireworks storage facility is seized by HS2 despite route being axed: Officials evict firm from their land on cancelled northern leg of high speed rail network - as owner warns of the dangers of explosives inside

A fireworks retention installation located connected the way of the cancelled HS2 bluish limb has been seized contempt the Government axing the way 7 months ago.

SGB World Services is being evicted from its 400-ton installation successful agrarian Staffordshire truthful HS2 tin instrumentality power of the country which had laic successful the way of the planned route.

The company, which had tally the tract for 9 years, present faces ruin due to the fact that it cannot find alternate premises for specified a specialised and unsafe enactment of work.

The concern is an illustration of however the HS2 bluish limb continues to swallow up taxpayers' currency adjacent aft it was axed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak past October.

Although the conception was cancelled past October successful a hugely arguable decision, HS2 had already secured the 13-year lease the institution had with landowner Swynnerton Estates - owned by Benjamin Fitzherbert, lad of the 15th Lord Stafford.

Contractors present indispensable transportation connected arsenic though HS2 is inactive being built done the country due to the fact that - nether the lease's presumption - the onshore indispensable beryllium made harmless with nary proviso for SGB to stay onsite, earlier immoderate aboriginal exit from the lease tin beryllium negotiated.

On Wednesday, astir 40 bailiffs, contractors, information guards and HS2 officials descended connected the isolated installation astatine the commencement of an cognition to evict the institution and wide the onshore - and its highly-volatile banal - that is expected to instrumentality months.

Arrangements to marque the installation harmless volition see the erection of information fencing, electrical enactment and the deployment of gardeners to chopped backmost shrubbery successful bid to marque definite thing is missed connected the site, which houses 4 wartime bunkers and aggregate freight containers, wherever the explosives person been stored.

It is understood lone 1 of the bunkers laic successful the way of the projected railway, but the others were each adjacent capable to airs a menace to passengers connected the now-scrapped line.

Although the precocious velocity railway had ever threatened to spell done the area, Simon Boote, who runs SGB, said his site's destiny was lone confirmed erstwhile Phase 2a of HS2 from Birmingham to Crewe was fixed Royal Assent successful February 2021.

Mr Boote said a announcement of eviction was issued connected June 13 past year, erstwhile HS2 purchased the site's lease disconnected Swynnerton Estates, which had 13 years near to run.

But Mr Boote said that pursuing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's announcement 4 months aboriginal that the 2nd limb of the railway was being shelved, 'we thought (the menace of closure) had gone away', helium said.

HS2's Acquisitions Manager Anthony Shepherdson was the archetypal to get connected tract connected Wednesday morning, accompanied by High Court enforcer Carl Harrison.

They had the paperwork required to region Mr Boote and a colleague. They were escorted half-a-mile down the track, distant from the retention tract to a nationalist lane, wherever they men watched arsenic a dizzying array of men and instrumentality – each paid for by the payer - arrived to instrumentality their place.

Half-a-dozen cars contained information men from Black Onyx Security, earlier a van containing 5 oregon six further information men - dressed successful what looked similar riot cogwheel - pulled up.

Another van bearing the logo of Black Onyx Concepts, a information and hazard absorption consultancy, past arrived followed by 2 much towing 2 portable cabins, past a lorry with lighting towers and a substance vessel and generator.

Paramedics and a van marked 'Welfare Unit' besides arrived, on with a forklift truck- towed 200 miles by a contractor from South London, who said helium had stayed locally overnight.

'This is what HS2 is each about,' said Mr Boote. 'There's a steadfast 2 miles distant that hires this instrumentality but erstwhile it comes to taxpayers' wealth nary disbursal is spared.'

Half an hr later, a lorry-load of fencing arrived to seal disconnected the retention sites and a small aboriginal an adjacent bigger load of akin fencing. Then came the mobile toilets.

'This volition beryllium costing the payer millions' Mr Boote added. 'It makes nary sense. There volition beryllium information connected present 24/7 for months I'd guess. Even though the enactment has been cancelled, the gravy bid is inactive running.'

As good arsenic the nationalist expense, Mr Boote is outraged astatine the risks being taken by HS2 and the Department for Transport.

Although the tract was being 'run down', determination stay 14 tons of precocious people fireworks and Mr Boote doubts HS2 has anyone qualified to instrumentality it over.

'If thing went incorrect connected this tract it's a big, large problem,' helium said. 'They're lining themselves up to person to destruct a ample quantity of fireworks and explosives.

'It would person been run-down people by the extremity of the twelvemonth but they person taken it connected themselves and successful doing truthful person ridden roughshod implicit the Health and Safety Executive's Explosives directive.'

There is interest locally implicit conscionable what the Department for Transport has planned for the ordnance stored successful the bunkers and freight containers astatine the tract successful Lower Hatton.

The tract dates backmost to 1939 erstwhile it was opened arsenic Royal Ordnance Factory Swynnerton, operating arsenic some a weaponry retention tract and grenade mill connected abstracted plots.

It predominantly stores fireworks for show companies oregon importers until needed successful the run-up to November 5 celebrations, but the bulk of the fireworks remaining beryllium to SGB's ain show firework company.

Mr Boote said helium fears that closing his tract volition thrust 'more fireworks underground - they won't beryllium stored successful a harmless place', and warns of a imaginable repetition of the Fauld detonation adjacent Tutbury, Staffordshire.

The colony was the country of the largest detonation connected UK ungraded erstwhile much than 3,000 subject munitions exploded en masse successful a wartime underground retention depot astatine RAF Fauld successful November 1944, creating a 1,000ft-wide crater.

The ineligible requirements for storing explosives are acceptable retired successful the Explosives Regulations 2014. The magnitude that tin beryllium stored, wherever it tin beryllium stored and for however agelong volition beryllium connected the benignant of explosive and the quantity.

But anyone manufacturing and/or storing explosives would usually request to clasp a licence adjacent if they are carrying retired the activities connected behalf of a 3rd party.

Occupiers of licensed sites indispensable instrumentality each owed precautions to forestall unauthorised access.

Mr Boote said complying with the assorted regulations is simply a hard process, meaning it is 'extremely hard' to get an explosives licence.

He said HS2 commissioned 2 acquisitions and surveying agencies to effort to place an alternate tract for his business, 'but neither enactment could place one' successful the West Midlands, which offers the payment of bully transport links to the remainder of the UK.

'There volition present beryllium 1 little spot for companies to instrumentality their products - and that puts the importers' concern astatine hazard too,' added Mr Boote. 'All for a railway that nary longer exists.'

Mr Fitzherbert said the lease was a 'contractual relationship' betwixt SGB and HS2 and was thing to bash with his estate.

'How HS2 spell astir enforcing the presumption of the lease is their business. We conscionable don't privation to beryllium near with the liability of explosives connected the tract (if and erstwhile the lease is sold back).'

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: 'The Secretary of State for Transport acquired the leasehold of 4 bunkers connected the Swynnerton Estate successful June 2023 earlier the announcement connected Phase 2 of HS2.

'Over the people of the past 10 months HS2 Ltd has repeatedly asked the erstwhile leaseholder to vacate the bunkers. The presumption of the lease bash not let for the tract to beryllium transferred to anyone. During this clip we person been successful dialog with the Health and Safety Executive and the Swynnerton Estate to safely program our taking possession.'

In cancelling Phase 2a past year, Mr Sunak said the authorities would put £36billion saved from HS2 successful different transport projects crossed the UK, including a fig of roadworthy schemes.