Major incident exercise held at Molineux stadium

Emergency services from across the West Midlands have taken part in a major incident exercise at the Molineux stadium in Wolverhampton.

The exercise involved participants from Wolverhampton Wanderers, West Midlands Police and other stakeholders.

The event was intended to ensure the best level of protection is provided by the club on a matchday at Molineux.

The exercise included a hyper-realistic terrorist attack, which involved a simulated explosive device detonating inside the Stan Cullis Stand, with casualties and fatalities.

200 actors, including staff from Wolves, were involved.

CCTV operators from Wolves worked alongside West Midlands Police to identify the 'terrorist' and pinpoint the source of the explosion.

Steve Sutton, Wolves’s facilities, safety and security director, said: “This exercise was an essential ‘live play’ scenario, designed to rigorously test our matchday procedures and contingency plan in response to a major incident.

“Not only did it test our own Matchday Safety Team, it was also an invaluable test for the matchday staff from West Midlands Police, West Midlands Ambulance Service and St John Ambulance as well as the wider emergency service’s response to a significant incident at Molineux.

“This is the first exercise of this scale for many years, and many thanks go to the organising team, all emergency services, volunteers, and the participants involved for their contribution, as well as the local community for their co-operation.”