Factory owner held over fire deaths

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Martin Winter, 50, boss of East Sussex-based Festival Fireworks UK Ltd, and his son Nathan Winter, 23, were held on suspicion of manslaughter after voluntarily attending a police station on Tuesday.

The pair were released from Eastbourne custody centre until April 23 in connection with the explosion which killed Geoff Wicker and Brian Wembridge, a Sussex Police spokesman said.

Retained firefighter Mr Wicker, 49, died alongside support officer Mr Wembridge, 63, in the blast at the site at Marlie Farm near Lewes, East Sussex, on December 3 2006.

Twelve other people were injured in the tragedy, including nine members of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, a Sussex Police sergeant and two members of the public.

Festival Fireworks UK Ltd, a family-run company, employs more than 50 people during peak times throughout the year.

One of the biggest firework importers in the UK, the firm was responsible for the Millennium display alongside the River Thames and the Lord Mayor's Show in London.

In 1999, the company admitted storing fireworks at Upper Lodge Farm, a building adjacent to the explosion site, which was not covered by its licence.

The Health and Safety Executive said the firm was trading under its previous name at the time, Sussex Fireworks and Displays Limited. It was fined £1,000 plus costs for contravening Section 5 of the Explosives Act 1875, the HSE said.

The dead firemen, both long-serving stalwarts of East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, were given full brigade honours at their funeral services in front of colleagues from across the UK.