'It was scary... I could have easily lost my whole family'

'NEW FERRY HAS BEEN DOWN IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TOILET FOR TOO LONG...' HOPES COMMUNITY CAN SEE A REVIVAL EIGHT YEARS ON FROM THE MASSIVE EXPLOSION THAT WIPED OUT HIGH STREET

- EDWARD BARNES

EIGHT years on from an explosion that wiped out a Merseyside high street overnight and left an area scarred for years, there is now hope and optimism the area could get “a bit of a boost.”

On March 25, 2017, just before Mother’s Day, people were out for a bite to eat at Lan’s Chinese Restaurant or having a pint in the Cleveland Arms in New Ferry, Wirral.

At 9.15pm, the Homes in Style store in the middle of the town exploded.

The explosion could be heard from miles away and destroyed dozens of buildings in the surrounding area injuring 81 people, two of them seriously.

A dance studio in the same building had finished a class just a few hours earlier.

Despite the colossal scale of the damage, no one was killed.

On the anniversary of the explosion, New Ferry resident Andrea talked about how her family were in the restaurant directly opposite the furniture store when it blew up.

She didn’t realise her loved ones were caught up in the explosion and had to be taken to hospital until the next morning.

Eight years later, she said they were still suffering from the effects.

She told the ECHO: “It was scary. It was scary how easily I could have lost my whole family. It was all so confusing.

“Nobody knew. It was scary and not to find out until the next day my family were in there and how easily I could have lost them. Thank god it didn’t happen.”

After years of the explosion site remaining barren, new flats that are going up off Boundary Road now dominate the town centre.

The area where a former Co-Op and a row of falling down and derelict buildings on New Chester Road used to stand has now been flattened to make way for a new development there.

While the damage from the explosion can still be seen on some buildings and some derelict shops remain, the ORE work that's been going on has some locals feeling more positive about what's happening.