Creeslough service station's safety certificate expired for 16 years before blast
Lawyers for families affected by the Creeslough service station explosion have discovered that the site's safety certificate had been expired for 16 years. The revelation raises questions about regulatory oversight by the Donegal County Council and potential state liability.
Why it matters
It exposes critical failures in safety regulation and public administration that may have contributed to a fatal tragedy.
It has been alleged that the service station at the heart of the Creeslough tragedy had a safety certificate that was 16 years out of date.
The Times reports today that lawyers representing the families of those killed in the fatal blast uncovered that the Applegreen service station in the village last had its safety certificate renewed in 2005.
It was discovered via a Freedom of Information Act request submitted to Donegal County Council that the company that operated the service station, Vivo Shell, had not renewed that certificate after its validity expired in 2006 - and that Donegal County Council had not issued any further safety certificates to its owners in the intervening years also.
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