DONATIONS and gifts from the public have flooded in after the New Ferry explosion which left homes and shops devastated.

The overwhelming generosity has led to a special storage unit being opened at Port Sunlight Village Church Hall.

The response has been described as "phenomenal."

The centre has been opened by Port Sunlight Village Trust, which is working with Wirral Council in the relief effort to ensure the welfare of the village in the aftermath of the blast.

Wirral Globe:

Volunteer sorting out donations

Among the mountain of contributions are waterproof clothing, electric blankets, food and bedding.

Among those helping to run the centre is Kathy Yardley, whose home is among those damaged by the blast.

Wirral Globe:

Clear-up continues in New Ferry

She told the Globe: "The response has been fantastic.

"People have little packs together. We even had one man who had been out and bought trainers so the children can have new shoes.

"People could not have been more generous". 

Labour ward councillor Warren Ward described the scale of donations at the storage unit as "phenomenal."

He added: "What we've seen is testament to how much community spirit New Ferry and Port Sunlight has.

"We've actually got far more than we need, so we are asking for a stop on all physical donations and, instead, asking people to donate financially to New Ferry Team at justgiving/crowdfunding/lovenewferry

"I can't put into words my thanks to all who have come, donated money and other items".

A spokeswoman for the trust said four of their tenanted properties were badly damaged in the blast and a total of 35 were affected.

Six tenants had to move out and are currently living with family and friends – their homes were still within the restricted cordon on Tuesday.

The trust's chief executive Paul Harris said: "Firstly our thoughts are with the residents of New Ferry and Port Sunlight, especially those who have been injured or suffered damage to their homes.

“The events of that weekend have shocked us all “However our communities have shown great resilience and community spirit.

“Over the coming weeks - once police have completed their investigation and the site has been made safe - a full assessment of all damaged buildings will be carried out and repair work will begin.

“In some cases this work will take several months to complete and we are working with the council to ensure all affected residents are suitably accommodated.”