A pensioner has described the moment a gas explosion teared through his house

A pensioner has described the moment an explosion sent a fireball tearing through his three storey home destroying his possessions and leaving his partner in a coma.

Martin Viney, 70, managed to escape the suspected gas blast which ripped through his home in September this year with minor injuries.

His partner of 20 years Pauline Citterio was placed in a medically induced coma and is still in a critical condition in hospital.

Martin, who is no longer living in the property, had not spent a night apart from Pauline in two decades before the blast but has since struggled to visit her.