Demolition work begins at site of Benwell explosion in Newcastle which killed two people

The explosion on Violet Close in Benwell on 16 October killed two people, including a seven-year-old boy. Credit: PA

Newcastle City Council are beginning to demolish the homes involved in a devastating explosion in the Benwell area of the city in October, which left two people dead.

The authority have said the police are bringing their on-site investigations to a close, and that they are now taking control of the site and will be knocking down the damaged properties.

The demolition work has begun this week and is set to be finished early in the new year.

Seven-year-old Archie York and Jason Laws, who was 35, lost their lives following the blast in Violet Close in the early hours of 16 October.

The council added that all 140 residents who were evacuated from their homes in the middle of the night at the time of the explosion now have secure housing in place.

They have either returned home, moved into new council properties, or are in temporary houses while their homes are repaired.

The local community came together to help those who were forced to leave their homes following the explosion. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Cllr Paula Maines, Newcastle City Council Cabinet Member for Housing, said: “This has been an incredibly difficult period for a huge number of people, not least those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, with all residents suffering severe disruption to their lives.

“I must give huge credit to residents for the way they have conducted themselves with such integrity during an experience nobody could have been prepared for.

“The investigations that have taken place have been incredibly complex and I’d like to thank Northumbria Police and other partners for their cooperation and professionalism during this time. However, they can’t continue to police the site indefinitely.

“We’ve used this time to prepare to make the site safe while some households continue to wait to return to their previous properties, make sure the right support is in place for anyone who needs it, and that we’re ready to go to make Violet Close liveable again for our residents.

“There’s still some way to go and of course the impact of what took place here can never be forgotten, but we look forward to helping residents return to some sense of normality and independence in their lives as quickly and safely as possible.”

The explosion in October caused extensive damage to a number of properties in Violet Close in Benwell. Credit: ITV Tyne Tees

Meanwhile, Northumbria Police continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the explosion.

Three men - two in their 30s and one in his 50s - were each arrested on suspicion of two counts of manslaughter and the production of a Class B drug, namely cannabis.

They have been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

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