The financial cost of the fatal house explosion in Cleat Hill, Bedford, has now reached almost £1 million, with local authorities, emergency services, and residents still dealing with the consequences three months on, according to an investigation.
The blast, which killed Paul Swales, 85, and Julia Harris, 84, led to the evacuation of 50 households and left Bedford Borough Council, Bedfordshire Police, and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service facing a significant financial burden.
As costs continue to rise, questions remain over who will ultimately foot the bill and whether stronger regulations could prevent a similar tragedy in the future.
Figures obtained by ITV News Anglia through a Freedom of Information request show Bedford Borough Council has spent close to £1 million on response and recovery efforts.
This includes £265,000 for monitoring equipment and £172,000 for alternative accommodation for displaced residents.
Bedfordshire Police reported spending £96,158.71 by December, while Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service estimates its costs at around £300,000 to date.
With local authority budgets already stretched, mayor Tom Wootton (Conservative) acknowledged the financial strain, “The money side of things is the worry now, because every single council in England is suffering, and we didn’t really need this huge great bill,” he told ITV News Anglia.
For Cleat Hill locals, the impact of the explosion is still being felt. Keith Goldup, who was displaced for nearly seven weeks, spoke to ITV News Anglia and said, “It’s there in an underlying way all the time – there’s almost an unconscious presence to it.”
The explosion happened after a gas leak was detected during the drilling of a borehole for a ground source heat pump in a nearby garden. While attempts were made to seal the leak, an investigation is ongoing to determine how enough gas escaped to cause the blast.
ITV News Anglia spoke to Dr David Birks, a geologist with more than 30 years in the geothermal energy sector, who has called for tighter regulations on borehole drilling.
“This type of drilling activity is completely unregulated. I think an incident like this has to be a wake-up call for our industry,” he said.
“Yes, there have been lots of noises made within the industry about the need for regulation, but I think this brings the urgency into very sharp relief.”
He added that if regulations stay as they are, he is concerned this type of event will happen again.
A spokesperson for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero told ITV News Anglia it would not be appropriate to comment on the call for regulation while investigations into the cause of the explosion are ongoing.
Ongoing concerns
People near the borehole now have gas monitoring devices fitted inside their homes to detect any dangerous levels of gas. These are designed to raise the alarm if levels become too high, offering reassurance after the explosion.
However, one of the monitors triggered an evacuation last month, forcing residents to leave their homes for three days. Experts have since concluded it was a false alarm, but for some, it has only heightened anxiety at a time when they were trying to return to normal.
Beyond immediate safety concerns, questions remain over the long-term impact on house prices and insurance premiums in the area.
Read: Health and Safety Executive joins investigation into Cleat Hill explosion
Bedfordshire Police, who are leading the investigation, have previously told the Bedford Independent that they will look into all aspects of the explosion, including, “reviewing any previous issues reported in the local area.”
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, has also been asked to join the investigation, with them telling us that they are “providing technical expertise”.
