Toys and belongings 'strewn all over street' after Heysham explosion, MP says
Toys and belongings were "strewn all over the street'' in the aftermath of a suspected gas explosion which killed a toddler, MPs have heard.
George Arthur Hinds, aged two years and 10 months, died following a blast on Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham, Lancashire, in the early hours of Sunday.
Conservative David Morris (Morecambe and Lunesdale) described the "heartbreaking'' scene of the explosion to the Commons and said he "wasn't prepared'' for what he saw.
He called on the Government to "ensure that we all have a very safe home to live in'' and added that "any measures to be learned from the still ongoing investigation into this tragedy in my community should be heeded by the Government''.
Mr Morris told MPs: "I would like to convey to my House a tragedy that occurred in my constituency on the very early hours of Sunday morning, precisely at 02.36am.
"As it happened I was actually wide awake, and it was in my community within a quarter of a mile of where I live and I heard a loud explosion and my windows were shaken.
"I found out about an hour later after watching from where I live - I live on top of a hill, I can see all around the district, blue lights coming from all directions - that a house explosion occurred, not a quarter of a mile away from where I live in Mallowdale Avenue in Heysham.''
He went on: "I waited until the next day when I was invited by the local council to look at the site - I have to tell you it was heartbreaking.
"What I saw I wasn't prepared for. There were belongings strewn all over the street and toys and just debris everywhere. The whole community in that area were out, they were all in shock.''
George's parents Vicky Studholme and Stephen Hinds were also injured in the incident, but not seriously, and have since been discharged from hospital.
Paying tribute to the emergency services who responded, Mr Morris said: "It was unbelievable and what they had to contend with I just cannot imagine.
"But we're so lucky to have them and my whole community and the wider area have clubbed together to make sure that anyone who was affected will be looked after. I'm so proud to represent my community.''