Swansea: Site where a house was destroyed in suspected gas explosion still the same three months on

An elderly resident said she was desperate for the site to be cleared as seeing it every day could be very triggering. Credit: BPM Media

Residents living on a street where a fatal explosion destroyed a house and severely damaged several others are concerned that the site remains the same three months on.

Both the police and fire service declared a major incident following the suspected gas explosion at a home in Morriston, Swansea at around 11.20am on Monday 13 March.

The incident claimed the life of 68-year-old Brian Davies. One house was completely destroyed and several others were severely damaged in the blast. 

Three months on, many would probably have expected the blast site to have been cleared, however, the site remains almost just as it was in the days after the explosion.

Bricks, dust and other debris remain at the site. Credit: BPM Media

Amongst the rubble is a Pudsey Bear cuddly toy, a pink CD player, a wooden chair missing a leg, along with bricks, dust and other debris.

Both locals and Swansea Council are calling for the property's insurers to start work clearing the wreckage as soon as possible.

Clydach Road resident Jan Milligan said: "We've only just got back in to the house. I wish they [the people responsible - the insurance company] would clear it,".

"Me and my husband and our two dogs have been living with my daughter up the road [since we had to move out due to the damage to our home]. When it [the explosion] happened, we didn't know what it was - my husband called out for me, 'Jan, did you leave the backdoor open?' we just thought the doors had slammed - then we saw what had happened."

She added: "We had a splintered ceiling and we had to have a new front door and windows. We've been living here for 28 years, we're pleased to be back but devastated about what happened, he was a friend of ours as well as a neighbour."

The row of houses in Clydach Road and Field Close are privately owned and the responsibility for restoring any issues or damage - and clearing the site of the explosion - generally falls with home-owners' individual insurers, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) has said.

Last week, one couple living in one of the damaged properties was finally able to return home, after having repair work done to their ceilings and the front of their property and new doors installed.

Other residents are waiting on their insurers to finish their repair and restoration works before they can return to their houses.

Metal fencing has been placed around the explosion site to keep people and pets away from the wreckage.

Only when the site is fully cleared and made safe by the insurance company can Swansea Council take down the protective fencing around the site, it has stated.

Jan Milligan and her husband had to move out of their home after it was damaged by the blast. Credit: BPM Media

Currently, access to Field Close is slightly blocked by the fencing from the wreckage site, as is access to a short stretch of pavement outside some of the properties in Clydach Road.

Field Close resident Liz Taylor was also at home when the explosion took place. "I thought it was a plane crash, it was hideous," she said.

"It's been a horrible year. And the site is a reminder [of what happened] whenever you leave the house. It's not nice driving up the road and seeing it." She added.Another elderly resident said she was desperate for the site to be cleared as seeing it every day could be very triggering.

"It's depressing," she said. "I go through the lane to avoid seeing it, there's fencing there so it's a tight corner and I don't want to see it, so I go the other way around."

A spokesperson for Swansea Council said: "Since day one of this tragedy the needs of affected residents have been at the forefront of all the support we have put in place.

"That’s why we have every sympathy with residents and we are keen for action at the house to be taken as quickly as possible.

"Unfortunately, it is the sole responsibility of the household insurers to do this and we are again asking them to make quick progress to help residents feel that they can move forward with their lives after this very difficult time."

They added: "The insurers know the council is on-hand to provide any advice or assistance necessary to speed things up. The perimeter fencing we have put around the site needs to remain in place until the insurers’ work on the property is finished."