A trial into alleged fire safety breaches by four companies in Crewe's 2019 Beechmere retirement village fire has collapsed, with formal not guilty verdicts entered for all.

The trial, which began on Tuesday 6 May at Chester Crown Court, was set to examine 14 charges brought by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service against the four companies.

These charges were brought over alleged failures in the design, maintenance, and fire safety management of the Beechmere complex, Rolls Avenue, which housed around 150 residents before it was destroyed by a blaze on 8 August, 2019.

The trial, which began on Tuesday 6 May at Chester Crown Court, was set to examine 14 charges brought by Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service against Avantage (Cheshire) Ltd, Your Housing Ltd, Morgan Sindall Property Services Ltd and Total Fire Group Ltd (Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service).

However, just two days into the proceedings, the fire service announced it had "regrettably" withdrawn the case.

Chief fire officer, Alex Waller, said: "Following extensive legal submissions heard over the first two days of the trial, unfortunately it became clear this morning that there would be no realistic prospect of securing convictions."

"After carefully considering legal advice, regrettably we have taken the very difficult decision to withdraw our prosecution case against all four defendants.

"We understand that former residents of Beechmere and their families will be disappointed with this outcome, which is not the one we have been working hard to achieve."

The four companies on trial were:

• Avantage (Cheshire) Ltd – A subsidiary of Your Housing Ltd, contracted to procure the design, build, and finance of Beechmere and to operate the site
• Your Housing Ltd – Responsible for employing staff and implementing fire safety measures
• Morgan Sindall Property Services Ltd – Subcontracted for facilities management and maintenance
• Total Fire Group Ltd – Hired to carry out fire risk assessments in 2017 and 2018

Two other firms initially named in the investigation, WSP UK Limited and MAC Roofing Ltd, had already had proceedings against them dropped earlier in the legal process (Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service).

Formal not guilty verdicts were entered for all four companies. Two other firms initially named in the investigation, WSP UK Limited and MAC Roofing Ltd, had already had proceedings against them dropped earlier in the legal process.

The fire, which completely destroyed Crewe's Beechmere retirement village, displaced vulnerable elderly residents.

Despite no human lives lost, some residents lost their pets, along with irreplaceable belongings. The incident also prompted serious concerns over fire safety in care and retirement settings.

READ MORE: Trial begins over alleged fire safety failures in devastating Crewe care home blaze.

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