'Blast still causes me nightmares' says Millhams tip worker (From Bournemouth Echo)

'Blast still causes me nightmares' says Millhams tip worker

1:00pm Friday 20th July 2012 in News By Stephen Bailey

A BOURNEMOUTH tip worker has spoken of the moment he was blown up and the nightmares that have followed.

Joe Wright, 32, from Winton was burned and knocked out in the blast at Millhams Lane in on June 29.

He told the Echo: “I still have nightmares. My wife said the second night after it happened I was reliving the whole thing.”

Joe was left with burns to his knees and a more serious burn to the left side of his stomach.

“I have had the dressing changed every two days,” he said.

“It’s not so much the injuries, it’s the experience.

“It’s knocked me back a little bit.”

The site was closed for two hours after the accident at around 10.30am.

The explosion came from a canister in a cardboard box.

Joe said: “The box was on the on the floor, I opened the lid and it was full of books.

“I started posting the books and I just saw a tube. I just remember a massive explosion that knocked me out for a little while and then I came round “My next memory was waking up in the ambulance.”

He suffered cuts to his left eyelid and left ear that gave witnesses the impression he was bleeding from his eyes and ears.

“It made it seems a bit worse than it was,” said Joe, who was treated at Poole Hospital .

Bournemouth council said it was carrying out a joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive.

Joe, who is contracted to Weymouth and Sherborne Recycling Services, said was due to be off work for four and a half weeks.

He said: “It’s not one of those things that leaves you straight away.

“I think it will be quite a while before I am over it.”