Man arrested after worker death at Barnsley Evri warehouse - police statement in full
The worker was sadly pronounced dead at the scene
A 34-year-old man is in police custody after a worker was hit by a vehicle and killed at a South Yorkshire mega warehouse.
The fatal incident occurred at Evri’s parcel hub in Birdwell, Barnsley on Thursday, August 27 evening.
South Yorkshire Police has now confirmed that the worker, a man in his 30s, died after being hit by a vehicle at the site. His name has not yet been disclosed.
A 34-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter and remains in police custody this afternoon (Friday, August 28, 2026).
The SYP statement in full reads: “We were called at 8.02pm yesterday (Thursday, August 27) following a report of a person being hit by a vehicle at Evri Barnsley Hub in Hoyland.
“Emergency services attended but despite the best efforts of paramedics, a man in his 30s was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
“A 34-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of gross negligence manslaughter.
“He remains in police custody at this time.
“The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have been informed and we are working alongside them as our enquiries continue.”
A spokesperson for the HSE said: “HSE is aware of the incident and making enquiries with South Yorkshire Police.”
An Evri spokesperson added: “We can confirm that tragically one of our team members passed away following an accident at our Barnsley hub.
“Our thoughts go out to their family and all those impacted by this devastating news.
“We are providing our full support to their family, our team members, and the police, who have attended the site.”
The tragic fatality comes just over a fortnight after another person was killed in a South Yorkshire workplace accident.
On Wednesday, August 15, 2026, emergency services were sent to an industrial site at Todwick Road, Dinnington, at 11am on Wednesday, after reports that a man had been injured in an incident involved industrial equipment known as a side loader.
South Yorkshire Police said that despite the best efforts of paramedics, the man, subsequently named locally as former Dinnington Rugby Club player Ant Butcher, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Health and Safety Executive confirmed that it had started an investigation, alongside police, who are still the main agency involved in enquiries.