New Ferry Marks 2 Years Since Explosion

26 March 2019, 10:00 | Updated: 26 March 2019, 10:02

The explosion at a furniture shop in New Ferry left 81 people injured and destroyed or damaged 63 properties. Some families are still waiting to move back into their homes.

The site of the explosion is still fenced off and a number of shops are waiting to be demolished. Last night hundreds of people from New Ferry paraded past where the explosion happened, carrying lanterns decorated by local children with the words 'I Love New Ferry'. Crowds walked to Port Sunlight where primary school choirs sang and a poem was read by actor Christopher Lee Powers, who is still waiting to move back into his home.

There was a special mention for Lewis Jones; the only person to be seriously injured in the blast. 21 year old Lewis hasn't been able to work since suffering from a serious brain injury as a result of the blast.

Also talked about was the town's frustrations that the government hasn't done enough to help rebuild the town. Financial support has come from the local authority. Mark Craig from the New Ferry Residents Association told Heart 

"Surviving shops have reported footfall down by as much as 75% and they're going to go under unless the government steps forward and helps them as it did Salisbury.

It handed £1 million to Salisbury's traders after they complained of losing two weeks of trade. Our traders lost a minimum of 6 weeks while the site was closed for investigation and in some cases four months."