Oldham gas explosion: Jamie Heaton's mother relives last moments with 'little genius'

The heartbroken mother of a toddler who was killed in a gas explosion has said her two-year-old son would normally have been at nursery had he not been taken ill.

Michelle Heaton, 32, whose son Jamie was killed in a blast in Oldham, also revealed he had spoken a new word the day he died.

Mrs Heaton had taken a day off work from Boots chemists to look after her poorly son.


                                [Oldham Blast: Man Jailed Over Toddler Death]


She said: "I made him some toast, normally he would have porridge but he had been ill.

"I was so excited when he said 'yum' - it was the first time he had said it. He could only say about five words, he held the toast up to me and said it. I phoned my mum who was saying he was going to be a little genius."

"He followed me back into the kitchen and I knew he wanted a biscuit, so I just let him have one, then he went back to the lounge and was watching Peppa Pig."

Mrs Heaton left her son watching television in the lounge to move her washing line in the back-garden - just moments before the explosion which would demolish eight homes.

She said: "I had stepped out on to the back door step and lit my ciggie and it went boom."

The mother, who has two other children, recounted the moments after the explosion.

"I crouched down as I thought something was falling. The loud sound just echoed all around. With the loud bang, I knew Jamie would be frightened but I couldn't get back in the back door.

"I ran through a neighbour's house to get to the front of the house. The front door had blown off and I couldn't get through the lounge door - it was jammed with all the rubble. We tried to get in but we couldn't shift it."

Tearfully, she added: "I saw a bed was sticking out of the front window. We were screaming for Jamie. We saw a policeman, so I told him what was what and they moved us back.

"The emergency services arrived and took over. They were there instantly. It seemed a bit surreal how quickly they arrived.

"It was a big bang. What I could usually see of the house next door had disappeared.

"I didn't think our house had been damaged at the time, not until I ran through to the neighbour's house to the front. Then I saw our house had been damaged."

Mrs Heaton and her husband, Kenny, 37, were taken to a nearby nursery as a search and rescue operation got under way.

Mr Heaton, a car sales executive, said: "We stayed in the nursery until about 2.15pm, then they came and told us. They said they had found a body of a little boy. They said it might not be Jamie - but we knew it had to be."

They went to his wife's parents and then picked up their other children, Jack, nine, and Jodie, five, from school.

Mr Heaton said telling Jamie's siblings of his death was "the hardest thing ever".

Mrs Heaton said: "The kids have coped really well. They talk about him and know he's in heaven.

"On February 9, it was Jamie's birthday. Jodie said that her brother would be having a party with the angels as we let a balloon off. It's nice that we can talk about him and remember him."

The couple have started a charity called Jamie's Something Special, after his favourite children's programme.

So far they have raised £7,000, some of which will be spent restoring and buying new play equipment for Bullcote Park in Oldham where Jamie took his first steps.

They also plan to donate money to help children with autism - a condition with which Jamie was diagnosed with a couple of weeks before his death.

Looking to the future, Mrs Heaton said: "Each day is different. Some days you're a bit down and others you feel alright. I'm hoping after the sentencing there will be more happy days. We don't want any more bad luck. I hope we have a happy future."

Andrew Partington, 28, has been jailed for 10 years after admitting to manslaughter. He had lived next-door to Jamie and his family.