Owner of taxi firm fined for death blast

THE OWNER of a taxi firm whose wife and another employee was killed in a horrific explosion has been fined.
By The Newsroom
Published 24th Feb 2010, 08:52 BST
Updated 24th Feb 2010, 08:52 BST

Grimsby Crown Court was told Tony Barker, of Fred's Taxis, still has nightmares about the blast on Christmas Eve in 2007 which killed his 43-year-old wife Sue, a part-time bookkeeper and receptionist Sue Mawer.

The blast happened after Barker, 46, bought nearly 25 litres of petrol to tide him over the Christmas period.

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Back in the office a hole appeared in the can. It slipped and the contents gushed out, causing the explosion.

Barker, of Washdyke Lane, Immingham, who suffered burns, admitted breaching the Health and Safety At Work Act. He was fined 2,000 with 400 costs. Immingham Service Station Ltd, of Pelham Road, admitted dispensing the fuel into an unapproved container. It was fined 6,000 with 1,500 costs.