Demolition work on explosion homes completed

Only the ground floor frontage remains following demolition work

Demolition work on two houses damaged in a suspected gas explosion has been completed.

A blast ripped through the terraced houses on Hugh Street in Whitehaven, Cumbria, on New Year's Eve, leaving three people seriously injured.

Cumberland Council confirmed work to partially demolish numbers 27 and 28 had been completed. One of the households evacuated remain in temporary accommodation.

Brian Leeson, who lives nearby, described hearing a loud bang that afternoon and said those affected had lost "a lot of their things".

Mr Leeson, whose top floor windows face Hugh Street, said: "They were beautiful houses and it's all just gone.

"And all the houses next door, half of that's gone. I hope they're alright."

Neighbour Brian Leeson said he heard a loud bang on New Year's Eve

All other households evacuated had either moved back home or had been placed elsewhere using their own insurance policies, the council said.

Bransty ward councillor Joseph Ghayouba said he expected the homes to be rebuilt.

Hannah Mitchell, BBC Radio Cumbria, reporting from the scene

The signs of the catastrophic explosion are still chillingly clear.

Two houses, number 28 where the blast happened and number 27, have all but been completely demolished.

Their ground floor frontages are still standing, but very little else.

A few neighbouring homes are still boarded up and you can see they still have cracked door frames, chunks of render missing and shattered window panes.