A FAMILY are still haunted by the horror of their home being blown apart in a massive gas leak blast as they face the anniversary of the tragedy.
Pensioners Derek and Margaret Roberts and their son David believe they narrowly escaped death when the simple act of lighting a cigarette resulted in a huge explosion which blew the windows out and took the roof off their home in Stanley Street, Mold.
They have suffered three long years of mending – their home, their health and their morale – and have now been dealt another blow when, just days before the third anniversary of the blast, they received the devastating news they would be unable to claim compensation through energy provider Wales and West Utilities for their ordeal.
The family claim the leak originated in the street outside their home.
Derek, 68, who suffered serious hearing loss and, along with his wife and son, has undergone months of counselling, is outraged by the news.
He said: “Haven’t we suffered enough?
“They won’t even acknowledge what’s happened and what we’ve been through.
“When I sit where I had been that day I still see the wall coming in on me and the chair blown sideways.
“We lost everything.”
Son David, a window cleaner, was engulfed in flames in the blast which resulted after he lit a cigarette. He suffered extensive burns to his hands, memory loss and is still living with post traumatic stress.
He also lost vital earnings and his once thriving business is still not back to its original success.
He said: “My hands are my livelihood, so I lost everything.
“The guilt was really hard to deal with and my morale was rock bottom so even when I was able to go back to work I had no motivation at all.
“Even now my hands are really swollen and I struggle in cold weather.”
The family spent 18 months in hotels and rented accommodation and now back in their own home, which underwent a complete rebuild, 65-year-old Margaret is still haunted by the way it used to be.
She said the family had grieved the loss of their home which they lived in for nearly 40 years.
“It’s like a death, you never really get over it. I still wake up thinking about it.
“We just hope it never happens to anybody else.”
Another gas leak in neighbouring Gladstone Street in 1996 resulted in the evacuation of all residents but an explosion was avoided and no-one was hurt.
A spokesman for Wales and West Utilities said: “The gas leak in 1996 was a leaking joint and has been proven to be wholly unrelated to the fracture in 2008.
“There had been no previous history of fractures in the area.
“The gas explosion on December 1, 2008 has been fully investigated by the Health and Safety Executive with our full co-operation and the HSE has found we had complied with all regulatory and legal requirements and that management of our systems has been sound.
“In connection with the family’s comments – they are professionally represented and we have been responding to their representatives throughout.
“As such it would not be appropriate for us to comment on individual circumstances.”