Young child killed in ‘devastating’ explosion which destroyed houses

A young child has been killed in a “devastating” explosion which caused at least two houses to collapse and damaged several others. Residents described the noise of the blast as “like a bomb going off” with debris that covered nearby streets and fields. Lancashire Police said they were called to the scene of the explosion in Heysham at 2.40am on Sunday after reports that “a number” of houses on Mallowdale Avenue had collapsed. The force later confirmed the death of a child and said four people had been injured, two seriously.