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Council house involved in deadly explosion
A council house was involved in a suspected gas explosion near Morecambe over the weekend, which killed a young child, it has been confirmed.
Two-year-old George Hinds (pictured below) died after two houses collapsed in the blast on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham in the early hours of Sunday morning.
A third house was severely damaged, with images from the scene showing debris scattered across the street.
Lancaster City Council confirmed that it owns one of the homes affected and said it is fully supporting the investigation into what caused the explosion.
However, a spokesperson for the council refused to confirm whether its home was the source of the explosion or whether it had an up-to-date gas safety certificate when asked by Inside Housing.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) described the blast as a “suspected gas explosion”.
Emergency services declared a major incident on Sunday after they were called to the scene at around 2.40am.
Ten fire engines and 80 firefighters attended the incident, pulling five people from the rubble, including George.
Police said on Sunday that two people were in hospital with critical injuries.
George’s parents, Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds, were also taken to hospital with non-serious injuries.
In a statement they said: “We are devastated at the loss of our beautiful George. He was so precious to us.
“We have no words to describe how we feel and just want time to ourselves to come to terms with what has happened. Our beautiful little angel grew his wings today.”
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Several households were evacuated following the explosion, while the local authority said it was supporting affected residents to find alternative accommodation and helping to clear the scene.
A support and advice helpline was set up for council tenants.
Gas service engineers attended on Sunday to make the area safe, with a cordon and road closures put in place.
Erica Lewis, leader of Lancaster City Council, said: “This was a truly tragic incident and our sympathies and thoughts are with George’s family at this terrible time.
“Our officers quickly attended the scene to provide support to the emergency services and the local community. It goes without saying that this support will continue for as long as is necessary.
“I’d like to thank all of those involved for their swift response and the community for how they have come together to support those affected in their hour of need.
“It’s now important that we find out the cause of the explosion and have a full investigation into the circumstances, which the council will assist with in any way it can.”
Ben Norman, assistant chief fire officer at LFRS, said on Sunday: “Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service remains on the scene with partner agencies and will continue to do so over the coming days to carry out a methodical investigation to understand exactly what happened at this incident.”
Lancashire Constabulary appealed for anyone with information to get in contact, referencing log 0180 of 16 May or through its major incident portal.
The explosion in Heysham becomes the second to affect a council home this month, after seven people were injured following a major blast in Ashford on 4 May.
In August 2019, a council tenant died after being injured in an explosion at a flat owned by Wandsworth Council.
