A man who died in a house explosion which also claimed the life of seven-year-old Archie York has been named locally as Jason “Jay” Laws.

The blast, which happened at about 00:45 BST on Wednesday, destroyed six flats on Violet Close in Benwell, Newcastle.

Mr Laws was the brother of professional boxer Joseph Laws, who trains out of Benwell and is a well known figure in the community.

In a Facebook post, Mr Laws said his big brother was “the best” he could ask for, and promised to be there for his children, and tell them he was the “best dad in the world”.

The number of floral tributes laid at the police cordon for both Archie and Mr Laws has grown since the explosion and subsequent fire.

One of the notes read: “RIP Wor Jay. You will forever be missed so much”.

Meanwhile, Archie’s family described him as a “loving boy, with a cheeky little grin on his face all of the time”.

Five adults and a child were taken to hospital following the explosion, including Archie’s parents and brother who have since been discharged.

A man in his 30s remains in hospital in a critical but stable condition, Northumbria Police said.

The police are still investigating the cause of the blast, and the Health and Safety Executive is liaising with them.

Newcastle City Council said: “It is important that these processes can be carried out properly and without speculation, and this will unavoidably take some time to conclude.”

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