Family left in terror by blast
COUPLE AFRAID TO GO BACK HOME AFTER SUSPECTED ATTACK
A FAMILY have been left fearing for their safety after an explosion caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage at their home.
Scarlett Tomlinson, 26, her partner Dan Eason, 25, his three children and their twoyear-old son were in the house when the blast happened in an outbuilding.
A FAMILY have been left fearing for their safety after an explosion caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to their home.
Scarlett Tomlinson, 26, her partner Dan Eason, 25, his three children and their two-year-old son were in the house when the blast happened in an outhouse.
It shattered their kitchen and living-room windows and blew the back door off its hinges.
It also caused damage to a number of cars and properties in the street, Mayfield Avenue in Kilburn, including Scarlett’s mum’s car, which was written off.
Police say they are investigating. Scarlett says she was left stunned by the incident, on Friday, September 10, and is now too afraid to return the address.
She also says her partner Dan, who is training to be a nursing assistant, has had to increase his dose of anti-anxiety medication as a result of the stress it has caused.
Scarlett said: “The loudest noise I’ve ever heard went off. We all screamed when it happened. I was just in shock, the whole night is a blur for me.
“Dan is suffering with trauma from the incident. He gets panic attacks whenever he thinks about it.
“Even if the person who did this was caught, I still don’t think we would feel able to return. The kids are all beside themselves.”
The family, who had been living in the house since May 2020, believe it was set alight twice previously, on August 26 and September 6.
This time around, Scarlett said paint rollers and rags, believed to have been soaked in petrol, were found in the rubble.
Since the explosion, the family
Even if the person who did this was caught, I still don’t think we would feel able to return.
Scarlett Tomlinson
have not felt safe enough to return to their home. After spending two nights at her mum’s house, Scarlett, Dan and their two-yearold son Albie moved to the Premier Inn in Ripley, which was paid for by their landlord, Futures Housing Group.
Amber Valley Borough Council then funded their stay at the The Ascot Hotel, in Allenton, from September 16 until October 4, when Futures Housing Group offered them an unfurnished flat.
Scarlett said the social housing provider has asked them to pay £500 a month in rent for their new accommodation, alongside their usual £400 for the house in Kilburn, which they are not living in.
A spokesperson for Futures Housing Group says the group has “acknowledged the difficulty of Scarlett and Dan’s situation”, and as a “goodwill gesture”, the group have offered to halve the remaining rent on their Kilburn home.
This means that their rent payments will overlap for two weeks instead of four.
Scarlett said the past month has left her and her family emotionally drained.
Scarlett says that her work as an admin assistant is the only thing that has kept her mind occupied and she has tried to remain strong for the children. She said: “The hardest part was not knowing day to day where we were going to be sleeping that night. Some days are better than others, but some days I just sit and cry.
“We were happy in that house, we saw ourselves living there for the foreseeable future.”
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Derbyshire police on 101, quoting the reference 21*527597.