RESIDENTS of a street in Stretford were left with a scene resembling a bomb site after tons of scaffolding collapsed outside their homes.

Locals in North Lonsdale Street say it was a miracle nobody was killed when the steel framework came crashing down late on Friday afternoon.

It was around 4.30pm when residents heard an almighty bang in the street and rushed out to see what was going on.

One told SAM: "It was just like a bomb had exploded and when I opened the front door it looked like a scene 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 and three others had to be rescued from the first floor of their homes.

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

"It is absolutely amazing that no-one was seriously injured or trapped in their car outside."

The scaffolding was put up as part of the refurbishment of the terraced housing in the Gorse Hill area. The work involving 10 homes along the street began at the start of February.

Now the boss of the Sale based firm carrying out the work says he is determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

James McGoff, of McGoff and Byrne Builders and Contractors, from Dane Road, told SAM his firm had had an 'exemplary' safety record stretching over more than three decades.

Mr McGoff says: "It is a regrettable occurrence. We have never previously had an incident like this in 33 years of trading. Safety is always a priority for us."

The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident on North Lonsdale Street, Stretford.

A spokesperson for the residents says: "The council has 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 and we will want an explanation as to the cause and where we go from here."

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