A COMPANY that supplies gas to York and North Yorkshire has been fined £5 million over a gas explosion that killed one woman and put care home residents at risk.

Elena Frunza was rescued from inside her burning home and rushed to Pinderfields General Hospital but died the following morning.

Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Neil Casey said: “This incident, that put the lives of the elderly residents of a care home at risk and cost a homeowner her life, has highlighted a failure by Northern Gas Networks Limited to follow their own safety procedures, in this case requiring the prompt and effective investigation and correction of anomalies in their records.

"Other gas network operators should take the opportunity to learn from this tragic incident.”

Northern Gas Networks Ltd, of Thorpe Business Park, Colton, Leeds, pleaded guilty to failure to ensure the safety of people not in its employment. It was fined £5 million and ordered to pay the HSE's £91,487 prosecution costs.

Leeds Crown Court heard that a fire and explosion in Huddersfield Road, Mirfield, West Yorks, was caused by gas escaping from a six inch cast iron main under the carriageway in front of Ms Frunza's house.

The main was not on Northern Gas Networks' records of the gas network and therefore had not been maintained.