FORMER Warrington Mayor and deputy leader of the borough council Mike Hannon has renewed calls for justice for the 50 people who died in the devastating Summerland fire disaster on the Isle of Man – including two young men from Warrington.
Mr Hannon has visited the former Summerland site on Douglas Promenade, accompanied by campaigner Tina Brennen, who has spent years fighting to ensure those who lost their lives in the disaster are never forgotten.
The visit comes as campaigners continue their fight for fresh inquests into the tragedy, which happened on August 2, 1973, and remains one of the worst peacetime fires in British history.
Among the 50 victims were two young Warrington friends, Alan Barker, 20, from Fearnhead, and Sean Terence Kelly, 21, from Woolston.
Mr Hannon, who knew Sean personally after the pair completed their bricklaying apprenticeships together, says the families of those who died deserve answers after more than five decades of unanswered questions.
Writing following his visit, he said: “The vacant site remains an eyesore on the Isle of Man’s beautiful coastline. To me, it is also a monument to unfinished justice.
“Standing there, I thought about the gulf between remembering a tragedy and putting right what followed it.”
A holiday paradise turned into a death trap
Summerland was opened in 1971 as a major leisure attraction, promising visitors a Mediterranean-style holiday whatever the weather.
The huge complex featured swimming pools, bars, music, roller skating and amusement arcades, attracting thousands of holidaymakers.
But on the evening of August 2, 1973, a fire broke out which would claim 50 lives and leave many more injured.
The subsequent public inquiry identified serious failings in the building’s design, construction, fire safety arrangements and management.
Combustible building materials, including Oroglas acrylic and plastic-coated Galbestos, helped the flames and smoke spread rapidly.
There were also concerns about locked emergency exits, inadequate evacuation arrangements and delays in the fire alarm system.
The inquiry made 34 recommendations but concluded there were “no villains” – a phrase which has continued to anger and frustrate many bereaved families.
Mr Hannon believes the fundamental question remains why a relatively small fire outside the building developed into such a catastrophic disaster.
Warrington survivors’ desperate fight to escape
Mr Hannon has also revisited contemporary reports in the Warrington Guardian, which documented the experiences of local survivors in the immediate aftermath.
Among them was 17-year-old Dianne McLean, from Latchford, who was playing table tennis on the sixth floor when she noticed wisps of smoke rising from below.
She recalled an organist reassuring people that the fire was probably a chip-pan incident.
As she attempted to escape, her shoe caught fire.
Her friend Marion Mason encountered a staircase already consumed by flames. She fell while trying another escape route before being dragged to safety by a young man whose name she never discovered.
Marion later recalled that they had managed to get outside before the alarm sounded.
Dianne’s father, Robert McLean, also played a heroic role, attempting to persuade terrified people on a balcony to jump to safety.
He tore burning material from a young man’s back and helped smash windows to allow people to escape.
His wife Hazel described seeing glass doors which were chained and padlocked, together with a locked turnstile.
Another remarkable account came from Warrington firefighter Harold Brown, who was holidaying with his family.
His daughter Tracey first alerted him to black smoke near a pinball machine.
Mr Brown searched unsuccessfully for a fire extinguisher before flames raced along the ceiling and plastic tiles began exploding.
He recalled seeing people desperately trying to break through locked doors, with some suffering severe injuries from shattered glass.
Despite the chaos, he managed to get five children through the crowds, with Tracey on his shoulders and his wife holding onto his coat.
Mr Hannon believes Mr Brown’s experience raises further questions, particularly as he does not appear on the public inquiry’s witness list.
He also highlights Mr Brown’s recollection that he had previously warned an attendant about the lack of firefighting equipment, only to be told: “It is fire-proof. We don’t need them.”
Mr Hannon stresses that these accounts do not establish a separate cause of the fire, but believes they deserve proper examination alongside the surviving evidence.
Two Warrington friends who never came home
For Warrington, the tragedy remains particularly poignant because of the loss of Alan Barker and Sean Kelly.
Alan, who was 20 and from Fearnhead, would have celebrated his 21st birthday the following Friday.
His parents were reportedly told by a Summerland manager that their son had helped save 17 people before he died.
Survivor Graham Harding recalled sheltering with Alan in a storeroom, where they attempted to cool themselves using water from a tap as the flames closed in.
Sean Kelly, 21, from Woolston, had travelled to the island with Alan and subsequently found work at Summerland.
Mr Hannon said: “Sean and I went through our bricklaying apprenticeship together. He was my friend. I cannot reduce him to a number in a report.
“Imagine learning how Alan and Sean died, then being told the verdict was ‘misadventure’.”
That was the finding at the 1974 inquests, despite the serious failings subsequently identified by the public inquiry.
The Isle of Man Government formally apologised in 2023, marking the 50th anniversary of the disaster, but the original inquest verdicts remain unchanged.
Campaigners win right to appeal
There has recently been renewed hope for campaigners seeking fresh inquests.
Following the Manx Attorney General’s refusal to grant an application for new inquests, campaigners challenged the decision in the Isle of Man High Court.
They lost that challenge in July, but subsequently secured permission from the Court of Appeal to appeal on all nine grounds.
At an October directions hearing, the judge acknowledged the significant public interest in the case and raised the possibility of the appeal being broadcast in 2027.
Permission to appeal does not automatically mean fresh inquests will take place, or that the original verdicts will be overturned.
However, it does give campaigners an opportunity to put their arguments before the court.
The campaign has reportedly cost more than £48,000, much of which has been raised from the pockets of those determined to see the case revisited.
Supporters can contribute through the campaign’s CrowdJustice fundraising appeal.
Calls for Warrington MPs to support campaign
Mr Hannon is now calling for greater support from Warrington’s political representatives.
In 2023, MP Justin Madders secured the first dedicated parliamentary debate on Summerland, with MPs Jason McCartney and Martin Vickers also contributing.
Mr Hannon believes Warrington MPs Charlotte Nichols and Sarah Hall should now do more to keep the issue firmly on the political agenda.
He also points to the support previously expressed by Andy Burnham, now Prime Minister, for calls for fresh inquests before taking office.
Drawing comparisons with the Hillsborough disaster, Mr Hannon says the Government can play an important role in supporting families, even though the Isle of Man is self-governing and Westminster cannot dictate the outcome of Manx legal proceedings.
He wants sustained political backing for a fair hearing, full access to surviving evidence and a permanent memorial shaped by those who lost loved ones.
He also highlights the solidarity shown by Grenfell survivors and families, some of whom believe that a more thorough investigation into Summerland could have helped prevent subsequent tragedies.
In September, the Metropolitan Police sent files relating to 54 individuals and 20 organisations to prosecutors for consideration of possible charges arising from the Grenfell Tower fire.
Mr Hannon acknowledges that the two disasters must be judged on their own evidence, but says the passage of time should never be an excuse for failing to examine institutional failings.
Calls for permanent memorial at Summerland site
Another issue highlighted by Mr Hannon is the lack of a permanent memorial at the site itself.
A memorial bearing the names of all 50 victims was eventually unveiled at Kaye Memorial Garden in 2013, 40 years after the disaster.
However, the annual commemorations remain divided, with Douglas Council holding its ceremony in the garden while Tina Brennen and other campaigners gather separately at the former Summerland site.
Mr Hannon believes the time has come for the two commemorations to be brought together.
He also wants the vacant site to be given a fitting future, with families and survivors involved in decisions about its development and remembrance.
He points to Warrington’s River of Life memorial on Bridge Street as an example of how remembrance can become an integral part of the place where a tragedy occurred.
His proposals go further than the current legal campaign.
He is calling for the Summerland appeal to be heard publicly, the surviving evidence to be examined and, whatever the court eventually decides, an independent truth and reconciliation panel involving bereaved families, survivors and fire experts to be established.
Such a panel, he believes, could provide a fuller account of the failures identified in 1974 and what was subsequently done to address them.
Concluding his appeal, Mr Hannon said:”Tina and the small, determined group beside her should not have to carry this alone.
“Fifty people died at Summerland. For Warrington, Alan and Sean are two names we should never lose.
“The flames spread so fast the building was gone in 53 minutes. The unanswered questions have lasted 53 years.”
Editorial note: This report attributes the historical accounts, criticisms and calls for action to Mike Hannon. Allegations and unresolved questions surrounding the disaster are presented as matters he believes deserve further examination, rather than established alternative findings of the original inquiry.
