Bosley mill blast: 'Search and rescue' operation to end

The "search and recovery" operation at a wood mill where four people were killed in July will end within six weeks, police have said.

Derek Moore, Dorothy Bailey, William Barks and Jason Shingler died in an explosion at the Wood Treatment Ltd plant in Bosley on 17 July.

Mr Shingler's body has never been recovered from the site.

Cheshire Police said despite leaving the site, their investigation "will continue for the foreseeable future".

A spokesman said officers, alongside Cheshire firefighters and members of the Health and Safety Executive, had "worked tirelessly at the scene" in an operation which "required great care in an extremely challenging environment".

"Over the next four to six weeks, the Constabulary will withdraw from the site and the demolition related to the search and recovery phase will cease," he said.

"This will formally bring the search and recovery operation to a close."

The announcement came a day after an inquest into Mr Shingler's death opened in Macclesfield.

That hearing was told a four-storey building at the site was completely destroyed in the blast, which was described by rescue teams as the "worst incident of its kind" in a decade.

In August, an inquest into the death of Mr Moore was told of the "scene of devastation" that greeted rescue workers, while inquests held in October revealed the other two victims died from the effects of explosion and fire at the site.

The Cheshire Police spokesman said the families of the four who died have been "notified of this scaling down process" and officers would now chase "many follow-up enquiries as part of the ongoing operation".

He added the force was "working hard with partners, particularly the local authority, to bring back some normality to the area and community".