Elderly woman says she's been left homeless after Birmingham gas blast

Louby Lane, 60, was sat in her living room when a massive explosion tore through the neighbouring terraced house in Kingstanding, Birmingham last Sunday (26/6).

The force of the blast, which killed grandma Doreen Rees-Bibb, 79, blew out Louby's downstairs windows and forced her and her grandchildren to flee the property.

Louby's home of 38 years has now been left on the brink of collapse and is earmarked for demolition after being declared structurally dangerous.

The gran-of-two has only been allowed back to grab a few essentials meaning the majority of her possessions remain inside the abandoned property.

She says as a result she has "lost everything" and has been forced to officially register as homeless as the council has yet to find her a suitable replacement.

Louby, who lives with her grandkids Megan and Morgan Rowe, aged 11 and 13, says the nearest alternative accommodation she has been offered is 90 miles away - in Luton.

Her daughter Terri Rowe has now set up an online fundraiser to help raise money to replace her possessions which face being lost when the home is bulldozed.

Louby said: "The explosion itself was insane. I just came out the kitchen and sat on the settee and I heard a funny noise.

“I don’t know how to describe it, it was weird. There was this big gush that came rushing through and then a huge bang which shook the house.

"The windows were blown off and then I could hear people screaming, the grandkids were upstairs shouting me.

“Everybody started running into the house next door. There were so many people in the street, it felt like thousands.

"A neighbour called Sam from up the street came down and took me and the kids to her house. It was just crazy and so tragic."