A factory blast which killed nine workers was an "avoidable disaster", an inquiry into the tragedy has found.

Lord Gill said risks posed were "not identified and not understood" at ICL plastics in Maryhill, Glasgow.

The inquiry also concluded that there was no doubt as to the cause of the explosion. 

Nine workers were killed when the ICL plastics factory in Maryhill, Glasgow, blew up in May 2004.

A further 33 people were seriously injured in the blast, which was caused when a build-up of leaking gas ignited.

Resources

Read the report in full

Scotland Today - reporting the explosion on the day it happened

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The inquiry found that the underground piping, installed in 1969, was "out of sight and out of mind". 

The report said: "It was inadequately protected when buried, it was subject to corrosion and ultimately it failed."

The risks posed by the underground pipe, containing liquified petroleum gas, were not identified and understood and opportunities to ensure it was not faulty were missed

The public inquiry chaired by Lord Gill began in July 2008 and was held in a community hall just a short distance away from the site of the explosion.

The company’s owners - ICL Tech Limited and ICL Plastics Limited - were fined £400,000 in August 2007 after admitting health and safety breaches.

The Secretary of State for Scotland Jim Murphy said: "What is clear is that this disaster was entirely avoidable.

"It could have been avoided and it should have been avoided."

Mr Murphy added: "This report shows there were serious failings on behalf of the company and also the Health and Safety Executive.

"We now need to take urgent action to ensure this sort of tragedy can never be repeated anywhere in Scotland or the rest of the UK."

The report recommends that similar metallic pipe systems - carrying the liquefied petroleum gas which ignited - must be identified as an "urgent priority" and replaced with plastic ones.