Thornton Heath gas explosion: Couple call for accountability

A woman who suffered more than 50% burns to her body after a fatal gas explosion in south London a year ago has called for "accountability".

Elaine McDonald and Nigel Forde's home on Galpin's Road, Thornton Heath, was destroyed in the explosion on 8 August.

Four-year-old Sahara Salman died when a neighbouring house collapsed.

Ms McDonald: "Somebody has to be accountable for what's happened to me, Nigel, Sahara's family and the residents of Galpin's Road."

SGN, the gas distribution company that had been working on the road in the 10 days before the explosion, said it was co-operating with an investigation.

The explosion caused about 80 homes to be evacuated. Three families are waiting to be rehoused and more are waiting for repairs to be completed before they return home, Merton Council said.

Ms McDonald, 55, was trapped under the rubble for about five hours.

"When I woke up from my coma, I had two broken ankles and I'd received just over 50% burns to my body," she said.

"I had surgery on my ankle and the surgeons at Chelsea and Westminster were fantastic. They saved my foot and the burns unit saved my life."

Mr Forde, also 55, said the residents of Galpin's Road wanted "some form of justice" after waiting a year for answers.

He said they were seeking an "open discussion" with SGN.

"We know from neighbours now, as times goes on, that there was an indication that there was going to be a big issue near our home," Mr Forde said.

"Some neighbours were told 'your property is OK but further down, there's issues down there', so they knew. They could have easily told us to evacuate.

"Why not knock on our door and tell us that we're in danger?"

Ms McDonald added that the gas had not been switched off to the property during the works on Galpin's Road.

"You have a duty of care to us as residents," she said. "We put our trust in your professionalism and we expect to get that when you come to do a job.

"Instead this is what we've got. We've got to live with this for the rest of our lives."

In a letter seen by the BBC, the Met Police told residents the force was still investigating whether there was enough evidence to bring a criminal prosecution against SGN.

The force added that it had concluded the explosion was no fault of any Galpin's Road residents and the full investigation would be a "lengthy process".

Det Supt Katherine Goodwin of the Met's Specialist Crime Command said police were continuing to pursue lines of inquiry in the "extremely complex investigation".

She said: "It has now been a year since the explosion at Galpin's Road that led to the tragic death of Sahara," she said. "My thoughts and those of the team remain with her family and friends, as well as all of those affected by the explosion, the impact of which is still very much being felt in the local community.

"We remain committed to providing answers to the people of Galpin's Road and all those affected by this incident as expeditiously as possible."

A spokesperson for SGN said: "Since last August, our thoughts have remained with the family of Sahara, the residents who were seriously injured and the wider community.

"There is an ongoing investigation by the Metropolitan Police and HSE, and we are co-operating fully with those enquiries."

Leader of Merton Council Ross Garrod said:"Today marks the first anniversary of the incident at Galpin's Road that saw the tragic loss of Sahara Salman's life and which has impacted hundreds of residents on the road and beyond.

"The council continues to work with the community and will support them for as long as they need us to. Our thoughts are with them all on this difficult day."

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