A dive-club could be forced to close down following the loss of an estimated £20,000 worth of dive-gear in a fire in the Staffordshire town of Kidsgrove over Christmas.
Dustbins behind Kidsgrove Sports Centre were set alight in the early hours of Christmas Eve, according to the Sentinel, and the fire spread to a shipping container in which Newcastle (Staffs) Sub-Aqua Club stored dive-gear. The fire service confirmed that the blaze had been started by arsonists.
The diving equipment, used by the club each week for pool training, was said to have been damaged beyond repair. Included were 18 cylinders, 17 sets of BCs and regulators, drysuits, masks and fins.
The club has been established for 30 years and currently has a core of 25 members plus nine trainees. Its chairman Michael Twigge told the paper that it was “touch and go” whether the club could continue.
Divernet – The Biggest Online Resource for Scuba Divers
06-Jan-17
