Church service held for victim of house explosion

A church service has been held in memory of a woman who died after a house explosion in Leicestershire.

79-year-old Janet Jasper died after an explosion at her neighbour's house in Birstall on Monday 11 December.

A property on Allington Drive collapsed and another was completely destroyed following the incident.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service and Leicestershire Police said the blast was accidental and no criminal investigation will take place.

The explosion is attributed to a 'catastrophic failure' of an internal gas pipe joint in the floor of the property, and the escaping gas being ignited by a cooker spark generator switch.

A forensic investigation is now underway by the Health and Safety Executive to identify what caused the failure of the internal gas pipe.