Bury explosion: Family say home is plagued by mould after blast

Walayat Shah said mould had appeared on his Nelson Street home after the blast

A family who live several doors down from the site of a huge explosion say they now have mould problems after their home was affected by the blast.

The explosion at a terraced house on Nelson Street in Bury in February left a woman seriously injured and led to three homes being demolished.

Walayat Shah said he was forced to evacuate for weeks after and claimed he returned to find mould and damp issues.

Mr Shah's insurance provider Aviva is now investigating.

Mr Shah said he believed the impact of the blast had led to structural problems at the property.

He said he now feared for the health of his family due to the current living conditions.

The home at the centre of the blast was taken down carefully by contractors

An investigation into what happened was launched by the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Police - both have so far declined to comment on the outcome.

Four of the houses on Nelson Street were declared unfit to live in after the explosion, and three are in the process of being demolished.

'Very stressed'

Mr Shah and his family, who lived four houses down from the blast site, spent three weeks staying with a neighbour after the street was evacuated due to safety fears.

The children had GCSE exams coming up at the time, and the upheaval left them all "very stressed" and "suffering a lot", he told BBC Radio Manchester.

He said his family also knew the woman injured in the blast, and said the experience had been "really shocking".

On their return, the family said they found water had seeped down the walls, with several rooms now covered in mould.

The family said they had found moud had appeared in the weeks they were out of the home

Mr Shah's wife, Shazia Khalil, said she had concerns due to her son's asthma, so wanted the issue "fixed immediately".

"It's a bit scary for me that he might get worse."

Mr Shah said his insurance provider Aviva had sent a representative to investigate the issues at his home.

An Aviva spokeswoman said the firm was "looking at all possible solutions to support Mr Shah and his family at this difficult time".