Man who died in Clayton-le-Woods explosion said in 2017 'man threatened to fire bomb my house'

Carl Whalley, 57, contacted the newspaper in March 2017 after reporting the alleged threat to his life to police.

The complaint was investigated, but the Post understands no action was taken.

Mr Whalley, whose body was found in the ruins of his semi-detached home in Kirkby Avenue, Clayton-le-Woods after the blast at around 1:30pm, had told the Post about a long-running dispute with another man.

At the time of the alleged bomb threat he told an LEP reporter: "The man said he'd firebomb my house. I've told the police, and sent them a recording of him saying it. But they said they couldn't take it any further because the threat wasn't made to me personally."

The Post contacted Lancashire Police in March 2017 to ask about Mr Whalley's claim and was told it was being investigated.

The blast on Friday completely demolished Mr Whalley's house. Residents were evacuated and given refuge in the local pub and also a nearby primary school until the area could be declared safe.

A joint investigation is being carried out by police and Lancashire Fire and Rescue. It is likely to be some time before the cause of the explosion can be confirmed.

Fire crews were still at the scene today due to the "precarious" state of the property as investigators continued their work.

Det Chief Insp Zoe Russo said: "Our investigation into the incident, which we now know was a house fire, is in its early stages and we are working with Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service and associated partner agencies to establish the cause.

"I would also appeal to anyone who hasn't yet spoken to police and has any information they think may assist us in our investigation to please contact us.

"I would particularly like to hear from anyone who has CCTV of the surrounding area to get in touch."

In a statement Mr Whalley's family has paid tribute to a "much loved member of the family".

"We are all devastated by this tragedy and no amount of time will lessen the pain that we are all going through," they said.

"He was the centre of our world and it has been ripped apart.”

Lancashire Police have been asked for a comment.

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