Kirk service recalls gas explosion

HUNDREDS attended a church service yesterday to remember the 22 people who died in the Clarkston gas explosion 40 years ago.

Ministers from local churches led the service with readings and prayers at Greenbank Church, Clarkston, East Renfrewshire.

The service is part of a series of events which have been held to mark the 40th anniversary of the explosion.

A row of shops at Clarkston Toll was flattened and a bus was caught in the blast just after 3pm on 21 October 1971, leaving hundreds injured.

East Renfrewshire Provost Alex Mackie spoke during the service about the importance of remembering those whose lives were lost.

He said: “ It is a time to remember together an event that scarred our community but didn’t define us.

“Clarkston remembers those events but it is right to move on and recover and grow together as a community.”