Northern Gas Networks 'failed to maintain gas main' which led to explosion that killed woman in Yorkshire home

Elena Frunza, a Romanian national and former medical services company director, died when her home on Huddersfield Road in Mirfield caught fire following the blast in February 2019.

She was found inside the property and taken to Pinderfields General Hospital, where she passed away the next day.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the source of the gas escape was identified as being from a fractured six-inch cast iron main running under the carriageway to the front of the property. The main did not appear on Northern Gas Networks drawings and had therefore not been maintained in accordance with the Pipelines Safety Regulations 1996.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Neil Casey said: “This incident, that put the lives of the elderly residents of a care home at risk and cost a homeowner her life, has highlighted a failure by Northern Gas Networks Limited to follow their own safety procedures, in this case requiring the prompt and effective investigation and correction of anomalies in their records. Other gas network operators should take the opportunity to learn from this tragic incident.”