'She was on the balcony shouting. Then she was on the floor'

Tallulah hairdressers stayed open for business, with staff unaware of the incident that had unfolded at the flats opposite, across the canal bridge.

Owner Ann Fairburn, 42, said she realised something had happened only when the emergency services started to arrive.

"We get a lot of sirens coming along this road, so I didn't think anything of it at first." she said. "Then I realised there were a lot more than usual, and we looked out and saw about ten police cars and ambulance and fire engines. I never heard anything at all, which is really strange because it's just next door really.

"The CID came in and asked us if we had any CCTV, but we don't. They didn't say anything else or ask any other questions.

"It's a terrible shame what happened to those kids."

Moe Harbi, 22, a chemical engineering student from Saudi Arabia, lives in the flats and arrived home shortly after the explosion.

He said: "My brother Rabbah was inside our flat when he heard an explosion. It was so powerful it made his chair move. He went out on the balcony and he saw the woman on the balcony above; she was shouting. He went outside and he saw a woman on the floor.

Student Fattah Hamami, 19, was in the block when the blast happened. He was asleep at the time. "There was a big bang and it shook me awake," he said. "Suddenly the police were there and the keeper opened the door for the police."

Hayley Cormack, 20, an ecological science student who lives in the same block of three-storey townhouses, said: "It's a bit worrying as it's something to do with the building.

"I'm hoping there's going to be some kind of investigation. This should never have happened. These buildings are only two years old."