'Lessons should have been learnt'

MP for Ellesmere Port

NEARLY five decades have passed since 50 people including residents from my constituency were killed in a blaze on the Isle of Man. Another 80 suffered serious injuries.

Wednesday, August 2, marks the 50th anniversary of the Summerland Fire but until now this appalling event has never been debated in the Houses of Parliament.

On behalf of family members Heather and Reg Lea from Great Sutton, who lost loved-ones in that awful fire, I have been determined that colleagues in the House of Commons should be able to recognise the pain associated with that tragedy by holding a debate on the floor of the House of Commons. Yesterday (Wednesday) saw us debate the Summerland tragedy for the first time.

The Summerland Leisure Centre when it opened in 1971 quickly became a very popular destination. On the 2nd of August 1973 a fire was started in an unused kiosk on the Crazy Golf Course outside of the complex, the kiosk caught fire collapsing against the exterior wall of Summerland. Due to the properties the architects used in the structure, the fire quickly spread. The open plan design aided the spread of the fire with the internal spaces acting as chimneys to spread the fire. The terror those in the building must have felt is unthinkable, survivors described mass panic with the building appearing to melt before their eyes. The fire was the deadliest on land since the Second World War.

In the inquiry that followed it became clear that some of the materials used to construct the centre were highly combustible, that safety was sacrificed to save costs, the relevant permissions given for construction did not consider fire safety and that staff have not been trained in evacuation in the case of a fire. The inquiry verdict was Death by misadventure which equates to an accidental death caused by a risk taken voluntarily which is clearly the wrong verdict and most hurtful to the victims families.

I highlighted the efforts of the Apologise for Summerland Campaign for all the work being done to give a voice to the families and for the unwavering support of Grenfell United campaigners in London who are standing side by side with the families. I told the House: “It is our duty in Parliament to not hide the past but to learn from it. “Lessons should have been learnt from the Summerland Fire, there should have been accountability and there should have been an apology. The bereaved families should not have had to endure 50 years with their family members’ deaths explained as ‘misadventure’ and yet this is exactly what has happened.”

Summerland campaigners have clear objectives: The campaign's three demands are; a public apology for the 'disregard for basic fire safety in favour of saving money and speedy construction', a public apology for 'the pain and suffering for the last 50 years'; and a public admission that the death by misadventure verdict was 'inappropriate'.

They have long been hoping for a meeting with Chief Minister of the Isle of Man and it is to be hoped that this debate and the anniversary may lead to that meeting alongside an apology and recognition of the failings that have not been addressed for so long.