by Emma Grove

Island firefighters who were among the first emergency services on the scene of a huge explosion which destroyed a house have spoken of the scene of destruction which greeted them.
Two crews from Sheerness went to Recreation Way, Kemsley, at about 12.30pm on Tuesday last week after reports of a suspected gas explosion at a semi-detached house.
The Island crews were two of six Kent Fire and Rescue crews which attended the scene.
The owner of the house, Alisdair Gray, 38, was airlifted to Broomfield Hospital in Essex with severe burns to his hands and head.
Mr Gray’s partner was out at the time of the explosion, but a family dog died in the fire.
Neighbours were first on the scene after the blast, and witnesses described their terror when their houses shook and horror at seeing Mr Gray run into the road screaming for help.
Sheppey Fire Station watch manager Andy Bridger-Smart said: “We were the second pump on the scene and were heavily involved.
“We could see the smoke from the Halfway Road and when we got there, there was part of a house left.”
Sheppey Fire Station manager Mick Durkan said when the crews arrived the first priority was to find out if anyone was buried in the rubble, which took a few minutes to establish from neighbours.
Once they knew no one was trapped, they concentrated on trying to save as much as they could of the adjoining house.
Mr Durkan said: “We were trying to put the fire out safely because there was a danger of the other side collapsing.
“The house where the explosion happened was reduced to rubble and it had blown away most of the roof of the house next door. It was a scene of complete devastation.”
Mr Durkan said the call initially came in as a house fire, but was updated by fire control on the way to the scene.
He added: “Often with house fires we go to it develops, but this was demolished when we got there.
“No one was killed but it was one of the worst I have seen.
“He was very lucky to come out alive.”
The cause of the blast is still being investigated.