Solicitor calls for Atherstone fire deaths decision

A solicitor is urging police to charge or release from bail six firefighters arrested over the deaths of four colleagues in Warwickshire in 2007.



Twelve people were arrested last year after a large warehouse fire at Atherstone-on-Stour.

Chris Humphries (pictured) has written to police complaining his clients have been physically and psychologically affected by the lengthy £4.5m investigation.

Warwickshire Police said it was its "largest and most complex" inquiry.

The bodies of Ashley Stephens, 20, John Averis, 27, and Darren Yates-Badley, 24, were found in the charred remains of the factory in November 2007.

'Make a decision'

A fourth firefighter, Ian Reid, 44, died later in hospital.

The force and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) started their investigations immediately after the incident. The arrested men were questioned in February 2010.

But Mr Humphries told BBC News that the police should come to a decision.

He said: "We believe their arrests were unlawful, we believe their detention at the police station was unlawful and we believe their continued arrest is unlawful and the police should make obvious and instantly a decision to release them from that arrest."

He said he had yet not heard back from Warwickshire Police.

David Capron, who was the fire service chaplain at the time of the deaths and is still a vicar in Alcester, said he believed the community was increasingly frustrated at the length of time the inquiry was taking.