Experts Demand Introduction Of ‘Rigorous And Frequent’ Checks

Legal experts representing victims injured when the Apollo Theatre’s ceiling collapsed during a performance last December have welcomed calls for improvements to checks on such buildings, after it was confirmed no prosecution will be brought regarding the incident.

Westminster City Council has announced no further action will be taken in relation to the collapse which occurred during a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog In The Night-Time, which investigations revealed was caused by a deterioration in wadding ties thought to have been in place since 1901.

Despite the decision not to prosecute, the council has recommended to the Health and Safety Executive and the Association of British Theatre Technicians that new guidance regarding checks on ceilings should be introduced.

The call has been welcomed by specialist injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who are continuing to work to gain justice on behalf of a number of people who suffered both physical and psychological injuries in the incident on December 19th.

Katrina Elsey, a legal expert at Irwin Mitchell who is representing victims of the incident, said:

“We are continuing to work on behalf of our clients injured in the Apollo incident to help them get the justice and access to funds to support their recovery from the incident. A year on from the incident, those we represent continue to suffer as a result of the physical and psychological trauma they endured.

“It is vital that buildings such as theatres, particularly older structures, are subject to more rigorous and frequent checks to ensure that the safety of patrons always comes first and something of this nature is not allowed to happen again.

“We welcome the calls to improve the technical standards on checks to ceilings in such buildings and hope that lessons can be learned from this awful incident.”