A house in which a woman was killed after a massive suspected gas explosion is set to be rebuilt.

In February 2021, Hazel Wilcock, 61, died following the explosion at her home in East View, Summerseat, Bury.

The blast reduced the home to rubble overnight and left residents in the small village in shock.

All that remained of the property was a single roof support beam amid the wreckage.

Ms Willock, who was born in Radcliffe and worked as a counsellor at St Ann’s Hospice was pronounced dead at the scene.

She was described as "a much-loved and compassionate member of the hospice family".

Five other people, including a child, were treated for minor injuries.

The submission of the planning application to rebuild the mid-terrace property comes in the same week that another explosion devastated a terraced home in a separate district of Bury.

On Wednesday, a property on Nelson Street in the Fishpool was destroyed following a blast.

A woman in her 70s was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

The planning application, submitted by the executors of Ms Willcock’s estate, states: “This application is for the like-for-like rebuild of an existing dwelling which was demolished due to damage caused by an explosion.

“The proposed development reinstates the original dwelling on the site.

“It comprises the construction of a new three-bedroom mid-terrace house within the footprint of the original house.

“It also includes restoring the external fabric of the adjacent property.”

The section of East View destroyed by the explosion has been boarded off since contractors made the area safe in the aftermath of the blast.

Ms Wilcock’s inquest in August 2021 heard the blast was likely caused by a nearby fractured gas main.

It is believed fuel travelled into her cellar before being ignited by a washing machine or chest freezer.

Bury Council’s planning department will now consider the application to rebuild the house.