A STRETFORD street was left looking like a bomb site after tons of scaffolding collapsed.

And residents living on North Lonsdale Street say it was a miracle that nobody was killed when the steel framework came crashing down late on Friday afternoon causing devastation.

It was around 4.30pm when people heard a loud bang in the street and rushed out to see what on earth was going on.

One told SUM: "It was just like a bomb had exploded and when I opened the front door it looked like a scene like you see on the television news."

Fire crews and police were called to the scene and found several cars crushed by the masses of metal. Eight people, including five children, were taken to Trafford General Hospital with minor injuries.

Three people were also rescued from the first floor of their homes and residents were just thankful that more were not hurt.

Maxine Fletcher, whose house is one of those being refurbished, told SUM: "My teenage daughter had only just got inside and shut the front door after arriving home when she heard the bang outside.

"It is absolutely amazing that no-one was seriously injured or trapped in their car outside after most of those crushed were written off."

The scaffolding was put up as part of the ongoing refurbishment of the terrace housing in the Gorse Hill area and the current work involving ten homes along the street began at the start of February.

But now workers from the Sale based McGoff and Byrne Builders and Contractors will have to start again to rebuild the framework.

And council health and safety inspectors were on the scene until late on Friday night investigating what happened.

Residents whose houses were being worked on are now hoping to meet the council and discuss the whole situation after holding their own get together on Sunday.

A spokesperson for the residents said: "The council have been very apologetic and the fire and police crews were brilliant at the time - but that doesn't take away the fact that it shouldn't have happened."

A Trafford council spokesman said this week: "This is the first such incident in the six years we have been carrying out these major works in Gorse Hill and we are making sure it doesn't happen again."

The £12.4 million refurbishment involves 1,097 houses in Gorse Hill.

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