New images show the rapid progress being made to rebuild a row of houses destroyed in a devastating gas explosion.

One private home collapsed and three council-owned properties were left irreparably damaged by the blast in Willesborough, Ashford, more than three years ago.

The eruption hit residents at 13 to 19 Mill View shortly before 8am on May 4, 2021.

Several months later, demolition work was carried out and black hoardings were erected around the empty Mill View site.

Plans for four new replacement homes were subsequently passed unanimously at an Ashford Borough Council (ABC) planning committee meeting in August 2023, with groundworks getting underway this September.

Three months on and new pictures reveal the swift progress which has been made on the plot since.

Once complete four semi-detached homes - two two-bedroom and two three-bedroom - will be in place.

The majority of works below ground level to construct the foundations and the substructure masonry walls have been completed.

The next stage involved removing scaffolding and commencing the exterior of the homes.

This has seen walls constructed from the floor up to the point where the first-floor joists are placed.

The external walls are continuing to be built up to the roof level ready for the roof structure to be erected.

ABC says the new properties will be built to a high standard, with a focus on energy efficiency such as solar panels on roofs.

Measures have also been included to help “future-proof” the homes.

This includes straight stairs to allow a stair-lift to be installed if required and square-shaped bathrooms so they could easily be converted into a wet room.

A council spokesman said the work is due to be finished on the properties by August 2025.

They added: “The only obvious risk to progress is weather, with winter still to get through, but things on site are progressing well.

"The buildings can now be seen above the hoarding, with the brickwork at or approaching roof level."

Shaken residents - many still wearing their pyjamas - emerged from their homes to see flames and smoke pouring from the buildings following the shocking inferno three years ago.

Bricks and mortar were also thrown into the road, destroying two cars and reaching as far as the opposite pavement.

Neighbouring properties and houses in the immediate surrounding area were then evacuated by emergency services, with residents taken to an emergency relief centre quickly set up just 300 metres away in St Mary the Virgin Church.

Following the incident, five victims were taken to the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and two to London with what would later be described as "life-changing" injuries.

All survived, however, the explosion left three homes structurally damaged beyond repair while the other was completely destroyed by the blast.

Subsequent investigations determined the explosion had been caused by a leak in a portable gas heater at number 15, which bore the worst of the shockwave and ensuing fire.

It was a full eight hours before residents were allowed back into their homes, with those closest to the epicentre of the blast kept away overnight.

Those affected were later rehomed having been provided with alternative accommodation nearby.

ABC leader Cllr Noel Ovenden (Ash Ind), who also has responsibility for housing and homelessness, has since added he is happy construction on the new homes is underway.

He said: “I'm passionate about providing genuinely affordable quality housing for everyone.

"So I'm thrilled our housing team is working on a project to replace the homes that were sadly destroyed by fire.

“These new homes will be built to a higher standard, with green features and future-proof designs which can adapt to changing needs.”