WIRRAL South MP Alison McGovern has addressed the government again after being told any help for New Ferry must be put on hold until after the general election.

A meeting on Monday night revealed residents frustration at not knowing what happened on the night of Saturday March 25 when the explosion injured 34 people.

One man, 21-year-old Lewis Jones remains in hospital.

Today, Ms McGovern sent a letter to the Prime Minister which said: “The General Election you have called has come at the worst possible time for New Ferry, a town in my constituency.

“You will recall that I asked you at Prime Minister Questions, to help Wirral Council, myself and residents rebuild New Ferry after the horrific explosion we recently suffered. My constituency office is just 100m or so from the site of the explosion and you will understand the huge impact that this devastating incident has had on all who life and work in New Ferry.

“When you answered, you said you would arrange for me to meet the Communities and Local Government Secretary of State Sajid Javid and I met shortly afterwards with David Ball, Head of Regeneration, Wirral Council. The meeting was positive in tone, and I believe that the Secretary of State wanted to help.

“However, the meeting left us with two significant problems.

“Firstly, the General Election creates a barrier to ministerial involvement in any rescue plan for New Ferry. The Secretary of State and I agreed that work should continue amongst officers and civil servants, but clearly, it is now practically very difficult for decisions to be taken.

“Secondly – and more problematic in my view – I believe that the Secretary of State did confirm that your Government does not fund regeneration of town centres.

"This has been my understanding of the policy since the Conservatives came to power in 2010. We once had the North West Development Agency which did much to rebuild Merseyside, but this was abolished by your predecessor, and no organisation has the powers and resources it once did.

“It has been a serious issue for New Ferry and places like it. With footfall low and falling, we need investment to turn this around, but the return on investment is too low for the private sector to take it on alone. Govemnent must step up and fill the gap.

"This problem is blighting town centres across Britain, but in New Ferry, the situation is no exponentially worse because of the explosion. We cannot wait any longer.”

Wirral Globe:

Alison McGovern posted a copy of the letter on her Twitter page

To end the letter Ms McGovern asked for Mrs May to reply to the following questions:

• How can we make urgent progress on rebuilding New Ferry, despite the General Election you have called?

• Sajid Javid told me it was Government policy to not fund town centre regeneration. You must rethink this policy. Will your Government reverse its policy to not fund the regeneration of New Ferry Town Centre?

• Aside from structural regeneration, Wirral Council is currently bearing the costs of the explosion. Is your Government prepared to help, and provide some emergency funding to get people in New Ferry to rebuild their lives?

Ms McGovern has also written to the Chief Constable of Merseyside Police to set up an urgent meeting with her and the councillors to find out where the investigation is at the moment and whether residents are any closer to finding out what happened to cause the blast.

A social media post from Ms McGovern said: “We are all feeling very uncertain because we have heard so little from them and need to understand a bit more.

“They also need to address a meeting of the Town Team along with National Grid as appropriate.”

The explosion was heard across the region including Liverpool and reportedly as far as North Wales.

Some businesses and residents returned to their properties two weeks ago however most around the site remain sealed off to the public.

A police spokesman told the Globe: “The situation is that the investigation is an ongoing matter which is being supported by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service, Wirral Council, the Health and Safety Executive and National Grid.”

National Grid say that their investigation into the gas network had been completed and the investigation is now in the hands of Merseyside Police.

The next meeting is due to take place on Wednesday May 3 at 5.30pm.

A special telephone number has been set up for anyone affected who needs extra support to help cope with the aftermath of the incident such as counselling.

Anyone affected can call 0151 649 1859 between 10am and 4pm.