INVESTIGATIONS into why derelict buildings collapsed into the street in Wallasey have ruled out a gas explosion, although the exact cause is yet to be determined.

Two boarded-up shops and unoccupied flats above came tumbling down at around 7.50pm last Wednesday, spilling rubble and debris across King Street and causing nearby householders to be evacuated from their homes.

An adjoining building was demolished on Thursday morning after it was deemed to be structurally damaged and unsafe.

The collapse created a major incident for emergency services to deal with - and although the exact cause has yet to be ascertained, eyebrows were raised when it emerged the owner of the derelict Wallasey terrace was Wirral Council.

The authority bought the property with money supplied by the government's Housing Market Renewal Initiative four years ago

Chief executive Graham Burgess said a number of proposals to refurbish the buildings and bring them back into use as affordable housing had been explored but none were deemed financially viable.

At the time of this incident, the council was in the process of seeking to sell the properties on the open market.

Kevin Adderley, Wirral's strategic director of regeneration and environment, said: “The exact cause of the collapse of the properties on King Street has not been established.

"As there were no injuries or suspicious circumstances, neither the police nor the fire service were required to carry out their own investigations, and checks by National Grid found no evidence to suggest that gas played a part."

Mr Adderley added: "An initial assessment by the council's structural engineer suggests that there may have been a failure of an internal central brick support pier which was supporting the upper floors and roof along the party wall of 85 and 87 King Street."

Further assessments are being made as the demolition contractor removes material from the site.

Householders told the Globe of their shock after the collapse, describing King Street as a “war zone”.
One neighbour recalled the lucky escape he had.

He said: “I heard what sounded like a ceiling collapsing in the adjacent building and a couple of minutes later the front of the building just fell down.

“I decided to get out of the flat to see if anyone was injured.

“Luckily, no one had been. It was a very lucky escape for anyone who happened to be walking along King Street today – this could have happened at any time.

“The collapse could have dragged my wall down with it.”

Another resident, who asked not to be named, said: “The street looks like a war zone, I have never seen anything like it.”

Wirral’s chief executive Graham Burgess and its cabinet member for housing Cllr George Davies issued statements on Thursday morning praising emergency services and the aurhotiy for the speedy way the incident had been dealt with.

Councillor Davies refused to be drawn over a flurry of social media comments claiming the buildings had been “left to rot”.

He would only say that an inquiry into the cause was underway – the results of which are yet unknown.

But Wallasey Conservative councillor Leah Fraser said that while the council was right to praise the emergency services, serious questions needed to be answered as to why the buildings were allowed to become so derelict.

She said: “Of course we don’t know if this shocking state of disrepair played a part in the buildings crashing down, but many people in the area suspect that it did.

“In any event, the question remains, why did the council allow these buildings to become so run down?

“Why have they just been left to fall further and further into disrepair?

“Instead of the council patting themselves on the back for acting so swiftly, they should be given a big kick for being so complacent.”

Labour leader of the council, Cllr Phil Davies, was astounded by Cllr Fraser’s attack and said the regeneration scheme never progressed due to Government cuts.

He added: “The answer to all her questions is simple: The regeneration never happened because of the Tory Government.”