A COUNSELLING session for people affected by the explosion in New Ferry will take place tomorrow. 

Organised by Wirral Council and the NHS, it will be Held at St Mark’s Church in the town from 6pm to 8pm.

Counsellors will aim to help people with their feelings and emotions and if any individuals feel they need further, one-to-one support this will be picked up directly.

Feedback at a recent community meeting showed that local people still have a number of anxieties following the explosion.

Community group New Ferry Town Team is in talks with the Chamber of Commerce to set up drop in sessions for local businesses. Details will be released as soon as they are confirmed.

Further meetings to help people and businesses deal with the aftermath of the explosion are also being planned.

The council is continuing to work closely with residents, businesses and partners in New Ferry and will hold its next community meeting at St Mark's Church Hall next Wednesday, May 3 at 5.30pm.

Progress is being made on the blocks of buildings which are still off limits.

Both the council and the representatives of the property owners, such as structural engineers and insurance companies, have been assessing the condition of the buildings and will meet tomorrow to share findings and see what decisions can be made.

David Ball, Wirral's assistant director of environmental services and lead officer in the recovery phase in New Ferry said: "We’re still working hard to get progress made in New Ferry.

"Turnout at the community meetings is still good and I'm pleased that we're able to bring the council and its partners together with local people to hear about any issues so we can find a way to resolve them between us.

"With an incident as serious as this explosion, it's important we all play our part in helping with the recovery.

"This is not something that one person or one organisation can fix.

"It's going to take the whole community – from public sector agencies to businesses, residents and property owners – we all need to do what we can and do our bit".

  • Affected people can still contact David Ball on 0151 691 8395, 07584 600401 or davidball@wirral.gov.uk
  • Neil Mitchell, Recovery Team, Wirral Council, 0151 691 8423, neilmitchell@wirral.gov.uk
  • Anyone with urgent needs out of hours can call the council's Emergency Duty Team on 0151 677 6557.