Former Lancaster butcher thought to be among victims of Jersey flats explosion

Billy Marsden is thought to be one of the nine people named by police following the incident at a three-storey block of flats in St Helier in the early hours of Saturday.

All nine were thought to have been in the flats when they exploded.

Jersey police said four of them were still missing and at least five people were known to have died. They warned they did not expect to find any survivors.

Billy, 63, is believed to have lived on the Ridge, and worked as a butcher on the former Lancaster Market, now Primark, before moving to Jersey.

In an ITV interview, the landlady at The Lamplighter pub in St Helier said Billy had been a regular visitor.

The pub this week left a 'reserved' sign on Billy's usual table, along with a pint of his favourite beer in his favourite glass, in his memory.

"We are a community pub," she said. "Everybody knows everybody and this has hit everybody hard."

Many people have posted their condolences on the Jersey Evening Post Facebook page.

Lee Madden said: "Our good friend, Billy, Butcher Bill, Donegal Bill, loved by so many, to have known you is a privilege, to have loved you is a blessing shared by many and for all you gave us we are grateful, sleep well my good friend."

Lyndsey Soar said: "Billy was such a lovely man, just can’t believe it x"

Cheryl Tomlinson, who lives in Slyne-with-Hest, got in touch with the Lancaster Guardian to say: “A few years ago my husband and I were on holiday on Jersey and by chance got talking to Billy in the Lamplighter pub.

"We sat with him for an hour or so reminiscing about Lancaster market and other people and things we had in common.

"It’s a sad coincidence that we read this today. Lovely guy.”

An investigation into the cause of the explosion will now be carried out by independent experts.

Jersey’s chief fire officer Paul Brown said that outside experts were also being called in due to the local service’s small size.

If anyone remembers Billy and would like to pay tribute, email [email protected]