Pipe work clue to blast death

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Maintenance work by South West Water may have contributed to the fracture of a gas main which led to an explosion that killed a girl, an inquest heard.

Nine-year-old Stephanie Hammacott died in the blast in the Southway area of Plymouth in January 2008.

She was walking to school with her mother when the blast blew out the side of a house, showering her with rubble.

The jury heard that the 6in (15.2cm) iron pipe was laid in 1967, but had not been due for replacement until 2013.

The blast blew out a wall of the house

Counsel for Stephanie's parents, Dr Michael Powers, QC, told the Plymouth inquest that work on a water main under the pipe in 1992 may have led to ground disturbance which could have weakened it over time.

The Health and Safety Executive said the soil around the pipe was very loose and could have led to the fracture, but they were unable to find a definitive cause for the explosion.

A police investigation said that Stephanie's death was an accident which could not have been foreseen or prevented.

The police inquiry showed the immediate cause of the explosion was the home-owner switching on his water heater.

Classroom assistant Mrs Hammacott, 39, had been taking Stephanie to a pre-school breakfast club when the blast happened.

Neither she nor the two elderly occupants of the house were seriously injured.