THERESA May has pledged to review a decision not to fund recovery of a blast-hit community in Wirral during PMQs.

Labour MP Alison McGovern (Wirral South) accused Mrs May of reneging on her promise in 2017 to help the people of New Ferry after a gas explosion injured 33 people and destroyed businesses in the area.

Communities Secretary James Brokenshire said he had not received a business case from the local council and last month ruled they had enough reserves to cover costs for the damage done.

During PMQs, Ms McGovern said: "The Prime Minister said the community would get support to recover but, after 18 months of struggling, the Communities Secretary has written to me to say New Ferry will get no support from her Government.

"Was I wrong to take her at her word or were my constituents right when they said that when it comes to helping people, you can never trust a Tory?"

Mrs May appeared slightly flustered and said she would take another look at at the decision.

She said: "I think she knows of instances when people in her region have been able to trust the Tories.

"The explosion in New Ferry was clearly devastating and it clearly impacted both residents and businesses and I did, as she said, make a commitment to look at it.

"I will look at the letter she has received because my understanding was the Ministry was encouraging Wirral Council to apply for a range of funding streams including various sums of money that would have been available.

"And that they had asked Homes England to work with the Council and had made money available in response to that, but I will certainly look at the letter she refers to."

Two people were seriously injured in the explosion last year, which left debris scattered along the street and forced the evacuation of people from the surrounding area to a nearby church.

The blast destroyed a dance studio where children had been just an hour before and blew in the front of a Chinese restaurant.

Merseyside Police said Pascal Blasio, 56 and of Gillingham in Kent, had been charged with causing an explosion likely to endanger life after the blast on March 25 last year.

Blasio is accused of unlawfully and maliciously causing an explosion which was likely to endanger life or damage property.

Independent gas supplier Contract Natural Gas Limited (CNG) has been charged with an offence under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 for failing to discharge general health/safety duty to a person other than an employee.

A trial date has been set for the new year.