Blaze leaves mother and her baby homeless

A MOTHER and her young son have been left homeless after a fire destroyed their home.

Bethany Halford says she was playing with her 14-month-old, Kayden Sproat, in her upstairs flat when she smelled something burning.

Moments later, she saw a fire outside and ran out of the property with her child.

Below their flat, some rubbish was burning in a yard behind a shop as the fire took hold it managed to spread to their home above.

Bethany’s home on North Road, in Boldon Colliery, South Tyneside, was badly damaged and she lost all her possessions .

The 20-year-old said: “Me and my son could have died. I just can’t believe it. I’ve lost everything and I’m terrified.”

She believes the fire, which took place at around 2.40pm on Thursday, was started deliberately, although this has not yet been confirmed by the police.

Bethany said: “I was on the sofa playing with my son and I could smell something. I just thought it was a bonfire or someone having a barbecue.

“I went to see if I had left something on, which I hadn’t. Then I looked outside and saw a white cabinet alight.

“There were flames coming off some rubbish.

“I picked up my son and ran out of the door. I rang 999.

“Within five to 10 seconds, everything went up. I saw black smoke and flames. I was really scared.

“If I hadn’t left when I did, someone would have been identifying mine and my son’s bodies.”

The Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service sent crews from South Shields, Washington and Hendon to the scene, who put out the blaze using two hose reels and breathing apparatus.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is now under way.

The scene after a fire at a shop on North Road in Boldon, that also badly damaged a flat above

MINISTERS have looked to downplay differences emerging between UK nations on lockdown measures and warned there would be no “dramatic overnight change” to the restrictions in England.

Environment Secretary George Eustice, speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, said the UK was still “not out of the woods” when it came to the coronavirus threat.

He became the latest minister to temper expectations regarding the alterations the Prime Minister is likely to make to social distancing rules when he addresses the nation tomorrow.

“We have to be realistic that there isn’t going to be any dramatic overnight change, we will be very, very cautious as we loosen the restrictions we have, as the data that we’re outlining on a daily basis shows we are not out of the woods,” said Mr Eustice.

“There are still major challenges, we will be living with this virus for some time to come and it’s therefore important to avoid that second peak that could overwhelm our NHS.”