The damage in the Shrewsbury Hotel car park. Picture by Ian Sheppard.

A Shrewsbury pub today reopened for the first time in almost two weeks after it was forced to close because of the town explosion.

The Shrewsbury Hotel, run by JD Wetherspoon, opened at 9am with bosses vowing that the pub and hotel sides of the business were both operating as normal.

And they issued a message of thanks to people who helped out in the area in the aftermath of the blast – and said their thoughts were with the victims and their families.

The pub was one of a number of buildings in the town which suffered damage when the explosion happened on the corner of Bridge Street and Smithfield Road on January 3.

At the pub, windows and doors were broken, a giant umbrella in the beer garden was demolished and cars in the car park suffered extensive damage.

Five people remain in hospital following the explosion, including Sarah Pearse, Sam Devine-Turner, Scott Godbold and Annie Davies, who are all being treated for their injuries at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham.

Actor Kiley McDonnell, one of the stars of Theatre Severn’s Peter Pan pantomime, who was also injured, is being treated for spinal injuries at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

Today Jane Clarey, hotel manager at the Shrewsbury Hotel, said: “Everything is back to normal.

“The hotel and the pub are open and we have access through Mardol, although the car park is closed.

“Some of our customers at the time were first on the scene and everyone has been really good.

“It was a dreadful thing to happen and not something you expect in Shrewsbury.

“Our thoughts and prayers are still with the victims and their families and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

Meanwhile, the extent of the damage to the Guildhall, which is the base for Shrewsbury Town Council and some departments run by Shropshire Council, was revealed for the first time today.

Officials said some internal ceiling tiles were “partially dislodged” but after a check of the building no health and safety concerns were identified.

Officials also said improvements for pedestrians and cyclists through the Connect2 scheme, which were due to take place in April, had been brought forward to take place at the same time as repairs at the scene, which are due to cause problems on some roads for up to a month.