Worker sent flying through the air after drilling into gas main causing blast

Footage has revealed the moment a contractor drilled directly through a gas main, sparking a massive explosion and sending a worker flying through the air.

Elliot Kirk had been building a fence on a farm in Alfreton, Derbyshire, when he was blown off his feet by the force of the blast in June 2022.

Footage shows Kirk running to safety after the machine he was using struck the underground gas line.

Black clouds of smoke began pouring out of the gas line, prompting fire crews and gas engineers to rush to the scene.

30 homes were evacuated in the chaos, with most of the drama captured on a resident’s CCTV cameras.

Luckily for Kirk, he walked away unharmed, but still ‘shaken’. Belper Skip Hire Limited and Kirk have now both been fined for or health and safety breaches at Derbyshire Magistrates Court.

Kirk was sent flying through the air after the blast (Picture: SWNS)

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said the blast led to more than two million kilogrammes of gas being released, putting homes nearby at risk of fire and explosion.

They also found that Belper Skip Hire Limited were made aware of the gas main’s location and advised by Cadent a month prior to the blast that no ground penetrating works were to be carried in the area.

But Kirk wasn’t made aware of this, so the work continued.

The contractor also failed to obtain underground service diagrams and ‘failed to take steps’ to check if the gas main pipe was underneath the ground.

Belper Skip Hire Limited pleaded guilty to breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act and was fined £26,667 and ordered to pay £3,173 in costs.

Kirk pleaded guilty to breaching construction regulations, and was fined £800 and ordered to pay £3,173 in costs.

The machine was placing fencing posts into the ground (Picture: SWNS)

HSE inspector Sinead Martin said: ‘It is extremely fortunate that this incident did not result in serious injury; had the gas ignited, the resulting explosion would have been catastrophic. Prior to breaking ground, contractors must take suitable steps to check for the presence of underground services.

‘Commercial clients have a duty to pass on all relevant pre-construction information within their possession to contractors to enable them to manage the risks.’

Married dad-of-two Alan Brown, 62, a company director, captured the shocking footage on his security cameras at the time.

Speaking previously, he said: ‘We were on holiday down in the Cotswolds at the time, I had arranged for both my lads to water the garden. My wife and I were coming out of John Lewis and one of my boys called and said he can’t water the garden because the entire street was blocked off.

‘He said there were fire engines everywhere and there had been a gas explosion so we checked out of our hotel and bombed back home. My wife Kim’s new car was on the drive and covered in soil and stone. Luckily it wasn’t too badly damaged.

‘I watched back the CCTV footage and just thought ‘Jesus Christ’. The noise of the blast was incredible. He’s a very lucky bloke. He was completely fine but obviously a little shook up.

‘I can’t believe he walked away uninjured, it must have come as quite a shock. I’ve never known anything like it but luckily nobody was hurt.’

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