Council seeks to claw back fatal explosion cost

The explosion happened in the early hours of 16 October

Council bosses will try to claw back some of the multimillion-pound cost to the public purse caused by a drugs lab explosion that killed a seven-year-old boy.

Reece Galbraith was jailed this week for 14 years for causing the blast in Violet Close, Benwell, in Newcastle, in which Archie York and 35-year-old Jason Laws died last October.

The site of the explosion will remain grassed-over until a consultation with Archie's family and the wider community on if the houses should be rebuilt, Newcastle City Council said.

The authority also confirmed it would be seeking to claim back some of the estimated £3.7m of costs incurred by the incident on insurance.

It is unclear at this stage how much it may be able to recoup or how long that might take, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

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After Galbraith's sentencing, the local authority said that the incident had an "enormous, confounding impact on the community, staff and all those involved and has drained finances and resources in what are already difficult times".

Civic centre bosses estimated £1.5m has been spent on the management, demolition, and reinstatement of the scene of the explosion, as well as supporting displaced families – many of whom lost not only their home, but all of their personal belongings.

The site of the fatal explosion has been grassed over

The explosion in the early hours of 16 October saw 142 residents from 51 homes, evacuated.

Twelve properties affected by the blast have since been demolished and ten households have been permanently rehoused.

The council also estimated that rebuilding those 12 lost homes would cost it about £1.9m – though bosses have stressed that it would only do so "if and when the time feels right" and following consultation with Archie's family and the wider community.

That area has been grassed over to create a "space for quiet reflection" before any further consideration of its future use.

A loss of rent and council tax income makes up the remainder of the stated £3.7m cost and would not be covered by insurance.