Fire fears, accidents and emu attacks among safety concerns at Cold War bunker

Volunteers who worked to restore a Cold War nuclear bunker in Edinburgh say they are worried someone will be seriously hurt unless health and safety failings are addressed.

They are concerned the public has access to the Barnton Bunker despite an expert highlighting serious fire risks.

They also claimed untrained volunteers were using heavy machinery, that accidents had gone unreported - and that workers have been attacked by distressed emus being kept on site.

The Barnton Bunker Preservation Society said the allegations were "inaccurate, misleading, historic or lacking wider context".

The charity insists the vast majority of volunteers have rewarding experiences and deny the site has been operated irresponsibly.

Buried below Corstorphine Hill, the Barnton Bunker was built in 1944 as an RAF command centre and later intended for use as shelter for the Queen and government officials if Edinburgh was targeted in a Soviet nuclear attack.

It was decommissioned in the mid-1950s and then fell into disrepair.

The bunker had a series of owners before being bought in 1996 by James Mitchell - a businessman who owned and restored a nuclear bunker in Fife.

In recent years, his son Ben Mitchell has overseen a charity project to create a museum and education centre. It has recruited volunteers, many of whom work on the site in exchange for accommodation.

To raise money, the charity offers guided tours of the bunker and rents it out for filming and events, including parties and raves.

CJ Botterill started volunteering there last March after seeing an advert on the recruitment website Workaway.

He says he became concerned when he read a fire risk assessment carried out six months earlier.

It noted 16 "high risk" concerns - that should have been addressed within seven days - and two "very high risk" concerns that should have been dealt with immediately.

"When I questioned Ben about it he wasn't particularly bothered," CJ claims.

"He said we have to do things in stages as we can afford things. I thought, you've spent tens of thousands of pounds getting CCTV to every corner of the site but you've not done the basics of protecting people's lives.

"That's when I thought to myself, I need to disappear."

The problems highlighted in the report included metal bars being used to secure fire doors and an emergency exit leading to an "enclosed area with no further escape".

There were more than 30 recommendations to address faults which also included the lack of a fire alarm system and inadequate firefighting equipment in an underground area used for welding.

It is understood that these recommendations were not followed up with the company which carried out the risk assessment.

CJ Botterill says shortly before he left in April, about 400 people gathered at the bunker for a rave.

"The day before the rave, a music video had been recorded where someone was using a flamethrower and fire breathing inside the bunker.

"It is mainly concrete, but there's still a lot of combustible materials in there. It's a huge concern."

The Barnton Bunker said professional fire risk assessments were commissioned and considered as part of a phased restoration programme.

The charity said public access had been carefully managed and did not accept that on-site events were conducted in "an unsafe or unlawful manner".

Another volunteer, who asked to remain anonymous, highlighted concerns that poorly maintained machinery was regularly used by untrained volunteers.

"The dumper had no brakes," he said.

"It wasn't impossible to stop it but you had to anticipate very early using engine braking and the weight of the machine.

"Since we were moving rocks and other materials near the edge of a cliff it could be very dangerous."

Two other volunteers, Dave Robbins and his girlfriend Erin Rowe, said they agreed to speak publicly about their experience because they want people to be safe.

The couple claim there were a number of accidents while they were at the bunker between March and November, including incidents involving the dumper truck.

"We kept on saying this isn't OK," Dave said.

"People have expressly said to me how worried they are about getting killed by the digger because the person is driving it really dangerously. I want other people to be safe."

Mobile phone and CCTV footage recorded on the site shows a dumper truck being driven into solar panels; volunteers sitting in a digger bucket while the vehicle was moving; and, later, the same digger lying on its side after toppling into a hole.

Volunteers were also filmed recovering a crashed dumper truck from the bottom of a ravine.

Erin and Dave said posts from Ben Mitchell on a group messaging app showed he was aware of the accidents and issues with the dumper truck.

In one message, he says that someone "literally got off it and watched it drive of a cliff" before adding that there was "nothing much I can do" other than "hope for the best".

In another, he writes that the brakes are "not that great" and that only "competent people" should operate the vehicle.

The Barnton Bunker Preservation Society insisted volunteers were not permitted to operate equipment "outside their competence".

It also said "suggestions that any accidents were concealed or that unsafe practices were tolerated do not reflect how the project is managed."

The charity also rejected the couple's other allegations - that they were offered "disgusting" and "uninhabitable" accommodation in a caravan with no plumbing or heating, and that volunteers were attacked by emus living on site.

The emus - called Kevin and Joyce - are part of a small farm holding that also includes goats and chickens.

"I've been attacked several times," said Dave.

"I've got a scar on my back from where Joyce scratched me. It's scary. It's terrifying "

"You don't know how to fight off an emu," added Erin.

"You don't know what you're supposed to do in that situation."

Erin said the intention was to have a petting zoo when the bunker was open to the public, but that the animals "don't really serve a purpose at the minute".

The preservation society said there had been a "single complaint" from a volunteer who "did not follow the guidance regarding interaction with the resident emus".

Responding to the wider claims, the charity said that because of limited financial resources "essential works are planned, prioritised and delivered in phases as funds are raised.

"A small number of individuals who are no longer involved, including some who were asked to leave due to various issues, have raised concerns after the fact.

"While all feedback is taken seriously, that does not mean every allegation is well founded."

Additional reporting by Morgan Spence