Traffic returns to the Welsh Bridge in Shrewsbury

Officials today vowed Shrewsbury’s Welsh Bridge would be completely opened “as soon as possible”.

It remained closed to traffic in one direction – eight days after an explosion which left three people seriously ill in hospital.

The bridge reopened to pedestrians and traffic travelling towards the town centre on Thursday and was due to open to motorists in the other direction on Saturday.

But the reopening was postponed because scaffolding needed to be put around the Morris Building by the bridge.

Today Tim Sneddon, head of environmental maintenance at Shropshire Council, said: “All car parks are now open, but Welsh Bridge is still closed to outbound traffic due to the work taking place in the area.

“However, the situation is under constant review and we will be opening the bridge as soon as we possibly can.”

Nineteen-year-old friends Sam Devine-Turner and Sarah Pearse are both in a critical but stable condition at Birmingham’s Selly Oak Hospital. Miss Pearse’s boyfriend Scott Godbold, 23, and their friend Annie Davies, 19, who are also at Selly Oak, were today “comfortable”.

Kiley McDonnell, who was starring in Peter Pan at Theatre Severn, is serious but stable at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where he is being treated for spinal injuries.

Utility companies have been carrying out repairs at the site of the explosion, which happened on the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road on January 3.

The Health and Safety Executive has finished its inquiries at the site, but said the overall investigation will continue for some time, with the cause of still to be determined. It is believed to have been caused by a gas leak.

Shrewsbury’s mayor Councillor Alan Townsend today spoke of his “shock and concern” at the town’s explosion, which left a total of 12 people injured.

He said: “We were obviously concerned first of all about people who might have been caught up in the incident. When we learned there were people involved we were very concerned for them and for their family and friends.

“I would like to commend the prompt and professional actions of the emergency services who seem to have been at the scene very quickly and are doing a very good job.”

By John Kirk