A resident has spoken about the shock his family experienced after an explosion in a home on his street, and mould problems that have appeared in his house since.  

Walayat Shah, of Nelson Street, Fishpool, lives only four doors down from the terraced property which was devastated following the incident, which happened at around 11am on Wednesday, February 28.

A woman in her 70s named Sheila was taken to hospital with serious injuries and three homes have been in the process of being demolished.

Walayat and his family were evacuated due to safety fears following the incident.

An investigation into the cause of the explosion has been ongoing.

Read more: Northern Care Alliance NHS trust makes £1.5m in parking charges

He said: “The blast was phenomenal, my wife was in but I was out and my children were at school.

“She was literally screaming and crying and the door and windows were blown away.

“Cars outside were buried in rubble. Everyone was very shaken. No one's used to this kind of thing.”

The family stayed at a neighbour’s house for four weeks before they were allowed to return to the property.

Read more: Rabbits Sooty and Sweep who were found under lorry looking for homes

Mr Shah said that before the explosion, their house's condition fine, however since returning they have found mould in many of the rooms, including the living room, kitchen and upstairs bedrooms.

A dehumidifier has been put in the kitchen to try and get rid of some of the damp as some of the ceiling is coming away.

However, Mr Shah said he is very concerned as his son has asthma and every day his symptoms seem to be getting worse.

Read more: Radcliffe care home sisters share secret to their special bond

Currently, the family are trying to work with their insurance company Aviva to investigate and fix the issues at the house.

He said that he hopes the issues in his house will be resolved soon as he doesn’t want to move away from the area and “the community is very close and support each other”.

Mr Shah also said he knew Sheila and said they have been neighbours for 18 years.

An Aviva spokeswoman told the BBC that the firm was "looking at all possible solutions to support Mr Shah and his family at this difficult time".