# The Hillsborough Stadium Disaster Interim Report

HOME OFFICE
THE HILLSBOROUGH STADIUM DISASTER
15 APRIL 1989
INQUIRY BY THE RT HON LORD JUSTICE TAYLOR
INTERIM REPORT
Presented to Parliament by the Secretary of State for the Home Department by Command of Her Majesty August 1989
LONDON
HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE
CONTENTS
| | Paragraph | Page |
| INTRODUCTION | | 1 |
| PART I - WHAT HAPPENED AT HILLSBOROUGH? |
| CHAPTER 1 - THE GROUND AND PRE MATCH ARRANGMETS | | 4 |
| Fixing The Venue | 21 |
| The Ground | 22 |
| The Turnstiles | 29 |
| Travel to the Ground | 33 |
| Allocation of Places and Tickets | 35 |
| Access from Leppings Lane | 37 |
| Inside the Leppings Lane Turnstiles | 40 |
| Policing Arrangements | 47 |
| Sheffield Wednesday's Arrangements | 48 |
| Police Communications | 49 |
| CHAPTER 2-15 APRIL: THE BUILD UP TO 2.30 pm | | 9 |
| Early Arrivals | 54 |
| Public Houses | 55 |
| The Gathering Crowd | 57 |
| CHAPTER 3 - THE CRISIS AT THE TURNSTILES | | 11 |
| "Open the Gates" | 66 |
| CHAPTER 4-THE DISASTER | | 13 |
| CHAPTER 5-THE AFTERMATH | | 15 |
| Rescue Attempts | 81 |
| First Aid | 87 |
| In the Control Room | 91 |
| No Information | 97 |
| Misinformation | 98 |
| Public Announcements | 100 |
| Fire Brigade | 101 |
| South Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service (SYMAS) | 105 |
| Gymnasium | 107 |
| The Dead and the Injured | 108 |
| CHAPTER 6 - SPECIFIC INCIDENTS | | 19 |
| PART II - WHY DID IT HAPPEN? |
| CHAPTER 7 - THE LAYOUT AT THE LEPPINGS LANE END | | 21 |
| The History | 119 |
| The 1981 Semi-final | 123 |
| Three Pens | 125 |
| The 1985 Changes | 127 |
| New Radial Fences | 128 |
| Barriers | 129 |
| The Turnstiles and Concourse | 130 |
| Barrier 144 | 133 |
| Effects of the Layout | 134 ​ |
| CHAPTER 8 - LACK OF FIXED CAPACITIES FOR THE PENS | | 24 |
| Departures from the Green Guide | 139 |
| Safety Certificate | 143 |
| Why was the Safety Certificate not Amended? | 147 |
| The City Council | 150 |
| Summary | 159 |
| CHAPTER 9 - LACK OF EFFECTIVE MONITORING OF THE TERRACES | | 28 |
| Who should Monitor the Terraces? | 161 |
| The Interim Popplewell Report | 163 |
| The Final Popplewell Report | 164 |
| Arrangements at Hillsborough | 166 |
| Case for the South Yorkshire Police | 168 |
| Harris -v- Sheffield United Football Club Limited | 169 |
| Police Practice at the Leppings Lane End | 170 |
| "Find Their Own Level" | 171 |
| When is an Area "Full"? | 175 |
| Fear of Hooliganism | 182 |
| Summary | 183 |
| CHAPTER 10 - THE BUILD-UP AT THE TURNSTILES | | 33 |
| The Physical Layout | 186 |
| The Number of Turnstiles | 187 |
| The "Late" Arrival of Liverpool Fans | 191 |
| Traffic Delays | 193 |
| Fine Weather and Drinking | 194 |
| Was Drunkenness a Major Factor in the Crisis at the Turnstiles? | 196 |
| Reduced Efficiency of the Turnstiles | 198 |
| Were Fans Without Tickets a Major Factor in the Build-Up? | 200 |
| The "Conspiracy" Theory | 203 |
| Liverpool Supporters at Away Matches | 205 |
| No Conspiracy | 208 |
| The Police Operation at Leppings Lane | 209 |
| Previous Experience | 213 |
| Policing in 1988 | 214 |
| Police Intelligence in Advance | 216 |
| Police Intelligence on the Day | 221 |
| Mr Marshall and Mr Greenwood | 222 |
| Control Lost | 223 |
| Postponement of Kick-off | 226 |
| Summary | 228 |
| CHAPTER 11 - THE BLUNDER ON OPENING THE GATES | | 40 |
| CHAPTER 12 - THE BARRIERS IN PEN 3 | | 41 |
| Barrier 144 | 233 |
| When did Barrier 124a Fail? | 236 |
| Dr Eastwood's Testing of the Barriers | 237 |
| Corrosion | 240 |
| Causation | 243 |
| CHAPTER 13 - THE CRUSHING NOT RECOGNISED | | 43 |
| Observation from Control Room | 244 |
| Officers on the Track | 245 ​ |
| CHAPTER 14 - THE RESPONSE OF THE POLICE | | 44 |
| The Officers in Command | 250 | |
| Police on the Pitch | 253 | |
| Fans on the Pitch | 255 | |
| False Reports | 257 | |
| CHAPTER 15 - THE PERIMETER GATES WERE TOO SMALL | | 45 |
| PART III - CONCLUSIONS |
| CHAPTER 16 - BRIEF SUMMARY OF CAUSES | | 47 |
| CHAPTER 17 - THE FA'S CHOICE OF GROUND | | 48 |
| CHAPTER 18 - POLICE | | 49 |
| Choice of Ends by the Police | 272 | |
| Police Planning | 273 | |
| Policing on the Day | 277 | |
| The Police Case at the Inquiry | 285 | |
| CHAPTER 19 - THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE SAFETY CERTIFICATE | | 51 |
| CHAPTER 20 - THE CLUB AND DR EASTWOOD | | 52 |
| CHAPTER 21 - FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY SERVICES | | 53 |
| No Fault by the Emergency Services | 296 | |
| CHAPTER 22 - COMMUNICATIONS | | 54 |
| PART IV - INTERIM RECOMMENDATIONS | | |
| CHAPTER 23 - INTRODUCTION | | 55 |
| Limited Objectives | 304 | |
| Perimeter Fences | 306 | |
| Reduced Numbers | 313 | |
| Safety Certificate | 314 | |
| CHAPTER 24 - THE RECOMMENDATIONS | | 57 |
| Maximum Capacities for Terraces | 1 | |
| Filling and Monitoring Terraces | 4 | |
| Fences and Gates | 6 | |
| Crush Barriers | 11 | |
| Safety Certificates | 13 | |
| Duties of each Football Club | 18 | |
| Police Planning | 26 | |
| Communications | 31 | |
| Co-ordination of Emergency Services | 35 | |
| First Aid, Medical Facilities and Ambulances | 39 ​ |
| APPENDICES 1. Plan of Sheffield Wednesday Football Club, Hillsborough Ground 2. Leppings Lane: the perimeter gates and turnstiles 3. The west stand and terraces 4. Arrangement of barriers at west terrace 5. The west terraces at 2.59 pm 6. Specific incidents Mr Hicks' Evidence The Goalkeeper and Gate 4 Oxygen Calling the Fire Service Mr Kenny Dalglish 7.List of parties and their representation 8.List of those giving oral evidence to the Inquiry in order of appearance |
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