Portsmouth house explosion aftermath probed by Health and Safety Executive

Neighbours living in Whale Island Way, Stamshaw, saw the quiet area transformed into a ‘bomb site’ after up to nine huge explosions saw people running for their lives and debris sprayed across the location just after midday.

Those living in the road told The News it was ‘very lucky’ people weren’t killed in the incident close to the naval base – which one local thought must be an enemy attack such was the ferocity of the onslaught.

Firefighters from six stations tackled the blast aftermath.

Now an investigation has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive.

‘HSE is aware of the incident and are currently investigating. We cannot comment further at this time,’ a spokesman said.

Michael McCormick, 52, his 45-year-old wife, Montse, and their son Mark, 19, said they were ‘seconds away’ from death when a series of massive blasts decimated their home.

But their neighbours have also been left homeless and their properties severely destroyed – with them all currently being put up in a nearby Travelodge by Portsmouth City Council.

Lee Lash, 54, who had lived in his council-owned home for six years, said: ‘We are lucky several people were not killed, if not more,’ he said.

‘If someone was walking past when the first blast happened they would have been instantly killed.’

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He added: ‘It is disgusting. We need to know whose fault this is. There are too many coincidences.

‘My partner smelled gas before it happened and one of the neighbours phoned the gas company before the explosion who said to shut off a gas valve...20 minutes later everything blows up and one person is thrown across their garden. Another neighbour had her gas condemned and new pipes after a leak.’

Lee revealed how he had popped out with his grandson when the explosions happened while his partner Angie was still in the house.

‘She rang me screaming and telling me the house was on fire. There was a big bang and the TV flew towards her and bounced off the wall,’ he said.

‘The ceiling was falling in...she scrabbled around and got out. The fire was taking hold of the house and gutted the back of the house and bedroom.

‘She was in a hell of a state. She was very lucky to get out.’

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Lee, who did not have contents insurance, added: ‘I’ve lost so much money – I’ve spent thousands on that house since I’ve had it and was about to buy it. We had money in the house too which is now gone.

‘I’ve lost things like pictures of my mum and children...all gone in minutes.

‘Three houses were destroyed and now everyone is frightened.’

Despite the trauma though, Lee said they were grateful for all the support they have received.

‘The council, Red Cross, emergency services and neighbours and people who have helped have been brilliant,’ he said.

Lorraine Morgan, 50, who lives next door but one to the McCormicks, said she had her gas condemned by SGN the day after the explosion having smelled a ‘sweet fragrance’ smell when she was allowed back in her house having been forced to swiftly evacuate the previous day when the blasts happened.

SGN told her to inform the council, which owns the property, before they sent out an engineer.

‘We spent a whole night in a house with a gas leak,’ she said. ‘We had new inside gas pipes put in after the other ones were crumbling.

‘When they were putting the pipes in there was dirt and debris and the walls were crumbling.’

But Lorraine admitted her husband and three children – two of which have special needs – live in fear after finding out the outside gas pipes, managed by SGN, are different to the internal ones. ‘We feel safe with the new inside pipes but are worried that the outside pipes are old still,’ she said.

‘No one seems to know what happened and is not telling us the cause apart from it was a gas explosion.

‘What the hell happened? We want it to come out.’

Lorraine said she was left ‘screaming’ after the explosion before rallying her family to safety – with their house left with a crack down the back and a bay window propelled into another garden.

‘Living next to a naval base I thought we were being attacked. It was like a bomb site,’ she said.

‘I feel so sorry for my neighbours who have lost everything. But with no one killed or badly injured someone was watching over us.’

A spokeswoman for the council said: ‘On Saturday morning while our out of hours team was on site at Whale Island Way a resident let us know about a potential issue with a gas connection in their council-owned property.

‘We provided temporary heaters and a gas engineer was dispatched. The engineer capped off the gas and a follow up appointment was made for Monday to fully check the system. The family had their gas fully checked and restored on Monday.’

To donate go to: uk.gofundme.com/f/house-blown-up-on-new-years-day

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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