the Birstall post Y O U R
C O M M U N I T Y
FEBRUARY 2020
N E W S P A P E R
www.birstallpost.co.uk
No. 439
Coroner calls for review AN INQUEST into the death of a Birstall woman who died following the Allington Drive gas explosion delivered a verdict of “accidental death due to an unintended act.”
Long tradition of panto fun returns A PERFORMANCE of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that is packed full of songs, laughter and comedy is promised when Birstall Theatre Company take to the stage later this month. The cast are currently busy rehearsing
for the show which takes place at the Palmer Tomkinson Centre at the Cedars Academy on Feb, 20, 21 and 22 at 7.30pm. The company has been formed following the end of the Birstall Methodist Men’s Panto Group in 2016. The Men’s Panto group had begun in
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the 1950s and was led by John Valentine and then his wife Jean when John passed away in 1985. Becky Valentine, a director of the Continued on page 2
Pic: (l-r) Sarah Sausage (David Jones) with Snow White (Paige Lowe) & the Chancellor Vic Dolby)
79-year-old Janet Jasper died the day after the gas explosion on December 11, 2017 after sustaining injuries when a roof and wall collapsed on to her as she lay in bed. Gas from a leak under the floor of the house next door, 42 Allington Drive, was ignited at around 7.30am, causing an explosion which destroyed the house and partially demolished Mrs Jasper’s house next door, which she shared with husband John. He suffered only minor injuries in the blast. The verdict was returned following a five day inquest in front of a jury that concluded on January 17, 2020. The gas had built up after a pipe had fractured under the floor of the hallway of number 42. The fracture was caused by subsidence in the concrete floor where the pipe was laid. The gas was ignited when the unoccupied property was visited by Roger Partridge who told the inquest he had smelt gas and was investigating the cooker in his late father’s kitchen when the gas was ignited. The explosion buried him in rubble. He was airlifted to hospital having sufContinued on page 2