Explosion may have resulted from DIY, say police

Police are investigating whether the explosion was caused by a member of the Rourke family doing DIY in the basement of their home, 28 Wright Street, Newark.

Speaking at the scene on Monday evening, shortly after the body of Jeanette Rourke was recovered and taken to Queen's Medical Centre, Superintendent Mike Manley said: "While we have yet to achieve formal identification, we know that Leslie Rourke and his daughter-in-law Jeanette are missing and we know that they were inside the property at the time of the explosion.

"We are working to support their other family members at this time with the anticipation formal identification will follow.

"In terms of cause, one avenue under consideration is that a member of the Rourke family was doing DIY in the basement. There is some information to support that suggestion.

"It is a complicated time in terms of the search. A forensic search has to be balanced with a need to also get people back into their homes and we are working with other agencies to try to achieve that.

"Safety checks of gas and electricity supplies still need to be done which is no small matter as the utilities are underground and must be accessed and isolated.

"We expect to be at the scene for several more days and what we find will need further analysis.

"We have a responsibility to the dead and to the living to be thorough and provide answers. To do that there will need to be some careful demolition of areas that are unsafe so the fire service can access the basement. They can't operate in there at the moment. There is a void which could collapse beneath them.

"The fire service have done, and continue to do, a tremendous job."

Speaking at Charles Street Methodist Church, which is being used as an operations centre, the chief executive of Newark and Sherwood District Council, Mr Andrew Muter, said: "Control of the incident will soon pass to us with our having statutory responsibility for dangerous structures.

"We are in the process of mobilising contractors as there will need to be some controlled demolition of areas that are unsafe, possibly in as many as three houses.

"To start with that will happen to allow investigation of the site by the fire brigade with clearance coming later. There is also a lot of debris in the street that will require a clean-up team.

"We want to get people back to their homes as soon as it is safe to do so.

"It is a scene of massive devastation and two people have lost their lives which is very distressing. Their families have our sincere condolences."

Marks and Spencer in Newark were the latest in a long line of companies and caring individuals to take a delivery of food to Charles Street Methodist Church for those affected and the emergency services who remain at the site.

Do you know Leslie or Jeanette Rourke and would you like to pay tribute to them? If so, ring the Advertiser Newsdesk on 01636 688462.