Explosion cordon to be relaxed

Tuesday 5th January 2010, 3:59PM GMT.

A cloud of thick black smoke billows up from the burning building. Picture by Spencer Pritchard

The police cordon set up around the site of the Shrewsbury explosion will be relaxed tomorrow, it has been announced.

Pedestrians will be allowed over the Welsh Bridge from 7am.

The footpath from Smithfield Road towards Mardol will also be open from 7am. Access to the Sixth Form College, which was closed today, will also be available from 7am.

Explosion coverage – click here

However, both Welsh Bridge and that section of Smithfield Road will remain closed to traffic for the time being.

Bridge Street and the two car parks on Barker Street remain cordoned off and are unlikely to reopen for several more days while blast investigation work continues.

Superintendent Martin Whitelegg said the decision to reopen Welsh Bridge to pedestrians was taken after a meeting this afternoon with the various agencies involved.

He said every effort was being made to return the town centre to normal as quickly as possible while allowing the Health and Safety Executive to continue its investigations into the cause and precise location of Sunday morning’s explosion.

Superintendent Whitelegg said there would be continued disruption in the Frankwell area, especially near the entrance to the car park, as BT engineers worked to replace blast-damaged cables.

He advised motorists to allow extra time to complete their journeys when parking at Frankwell car park, especially during the early morning rush hour.

View more: Shrewsbury Explosion news.