Wolverhampton gas explosion: Decision on probe on hold

Pensioner Wendy Ayoub miraculously survived the blast at her Penn Road house on Monday morning after her washing machine fell on top of her, shielding her from debris.

A cause for the blast is yet to be fully established, and investigations have been put on hold as the clean-up operation continues. Mrs Ayoub, aged 73, is recovering at New Cross Hospital with her son, Paul Johns, at her side. A spokesman said it was not known when she would be able to leave hospital.

Jason Green, spokesman for the Health and Safety Executive, said: "We have been on site and our enquiries will focus on whether we have a remit to investigate the cause of the explosion."

Emergency teams found Mrs Ayoub after they heard her calling out for help and pulled her from the rubble – with only a broken ankle, cuts and bruises. Mrs Ayoub, whose husband Fouzi died tragically in a car accident in Mali in 2000, has said that her washing machine saved her life. It is understood Mrs Ayoub's insurance firm will be responsible for completing the clean-up at the site.

Residents have been describing the moment the blast took place at around 8.20am. Dawn Salvin and her daughter Natalie were in bed when the explosion happened.

Dawn said: "Our house shook. We thought it was something that had happened to our house. My daughter was awake and she came into my room when I was waking up and said 'did you hear that?'

"We thought a lorry or something had crashed into our porch."

Ashoh Kumar was watching TV and getting ready for work when he felt his house shake. He said: ""I checked upstairs and my wife was still in bed but she felt it too. I went round the house checking everything until I checked outside and everybody was out there.

"We thought it could have been a bomb ."