The widow of a PC killed by an engine fire in his BMW patrol car has spoken of her anger after it emerged police chiefs were warned of the danger years earlier.
Nick Dumphreys, 47, a father of two young children, died in January 2020 when he crashed in a fireball on the M6 near Carlisle, Cumbria.
A Mirror investigation has found that at the time there had already been at least five unexplained fires in BMW patrol cars with the same N57 engine.
And we have obtained a copy of a warning issued by the German carmaker to the national body responsible for police car safety in 2018 after concerns were raised.
But it was not until January this year that BMW told forces to avoid high speed pursuits in cars with the engine.
Speaking after the inquest into Nick’s death last week, Kathryn Dumphreys, 41, said of their children, a boy aged six and girl of eight: “It’s devastating that they won’t get to know their father. It’s been heartbreaking to try to explain why he didn’t come home from work that day.
“They don’t understand and I don’t see how they can.
“It was so predictable and so foreseeable. It’s absolutely devastating when you think he should be here, it’s horrific. I’d like to see some accountability from BMW and Cumbria Police because there has been none.”
The inquest in Carlisle heard how Nick’s car crashed when a worn part broke loose and blocked the oil supply line, starving the engine of lubricant.
Moving components began to break up, and oil ignited.
As a result, the vehicle, travelling at 130mph as Nick responded to a knife incident, became unstable and crashed.
Kathryn, a fellow Cumbria Police officer, said: “All I want to do is ensure that no one else is killed. To ensure that someone takes responsibility and accountability for the faults that led to his death.
“And yet we’ve faced nearly three years of BMW and Cumbria Police passing the blame back to each other, while we sit in the middle quietly. I feel betrayed.”
A Freedom of Information request to all forces in England and Wales by the Mirror found similar fires occurred in patrol cars with the same engines for seven years before Nick died.
The first was in Derbyshire in 2013, followed by one in Kent and another Merseyside in 2016.
In July 2017, a BMW A30D went up in flames on the A38 in Exeter, Devon.
The officer driving escaped uninjured after several explosions left it gutted.
Police said the fire remains unexplained. In January 2019 a BMW 330D ignited in Melton, Humberside. The cause remains unknown.
The inquest heard that there are no national core standards for police car fleet workshops.
Problems with the N57 engine led to a far more frequent servicing regime at around every 5,000 miles.
The coroner will deliver his conclusions on a date yet to be agreed.
He will also rule on whether his conclusions should include recommendations necessary to prevent similar future deaths.
BMW said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Nick Dumphreys and the impact this has had on his family, friends and colleagues.
“As the case was adjourned and the Coroner has not yet reached his conclusion, we are unable to provide additional information at this point.”
National Police Chief Council lead on police driving, Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, said: “We are aware there may be an issue with some older vehicles in our fleet and we are taking steps to ensure this is addressed.”
Chief Constable Michelle Skeer said: "The thoughts of everyone at Cumbria Constabulary remain with Nick's family, particularly his wife Kat and their children.
"The Constabulary would like to make clear that it has co-operated fully with the inquest and all requests from the Coroner for information as we are determined to do everything in our power to help get to the root cause of the accident.
"Conclusions reached by the Coroner will not be known for a number of weeks.
"As such, it would not be appropriate at this time for Cumbria Constabulary to speculate on what conclusions the Coroner may reach whilst this process remains on-going."
