Fury over plans to scrap law passed after Woolworths tragedy that left 10 dead

It was a fire in Manchester which would lead to safety changes for Britain. Ten people died in the fire - nine customers and one employee. Thirty people were rescued and 47 taken to hospital.

The blaze at Woolworths in Piccadilly, Manchester, on May 8, 1979, saw the heroic actions of the 114 firefighters save lives. But it was also the trigger for a long safety campaign by the service, led by Assistant County Fire Officer, Bob Graham, which ultimately averted thousands of deaths.

Investigations revealed the inferno was fuelled by deadly fumes from polyurethane foam fillings in the furniture department where the blaze started amongst convertible bed settees and double mattresses stacked on end.

Each was wrapped in protective covers of highly inflammable polythene as received from the manufacturers. A damaged electrical cable had ignited a piece of furniture and temperatures rapidly reached upwards of 700 degrees Celsius.

Coroner, Leonard Gorodkin, said at the end of a week-long inquest into the victims that the swift spread of dense smoke, with its mixture of carbon monoxide and cyanide, had killed all ten.

Commenting on evidence about the dangers of furniture containing polyurethane and polypropylene, he said: "Anyone who has furniture with this foam either in a public place - and that means just about everybody - should remember that if a fire occurs there does seem to be a critical time of no more than two minutes to escape."

Mr Graham, who led the blaze inquiry, later campaigned tirelessly for a change in the law to improve the safety of soft furnishings. His cause was championed by Tony Blair, the then shadow trade spokesman, who helped bring legislation to Parliament in 1988.

But today the The Fire Brigades Union