Men jailed for restaurant explosion

The front of the shop was blown across the road

Two men who blew apart a Lancashire takeaway restaurant owned by one of them have been jailed for a total of six years.

Zaheer Ali, who owned the Heena takeaway in Blackburn, and Majid Hussain, carried out the arson attack to claim the insurance money, Preston Crown Court heard.

The explosion in the Bank Top area happened near a school and sent the shop front flying across the road.

On Monday Ali and Hussain were sentenced to three years each for the incident, which caused up to £750,000 worth of damage.

A can of petrol was later found in Ali's car

Two neighbouring businesses were also destroyed in the blast, in the early hours of 23 May 2001.

The court had heard that 25-year-old Ali, of Lancaster Place, Blackburn, had increased the insurance cover shortly before the attack on the takeaway.

Detective Inspector Mark Gray, of Lancashire police, said the incident could have been much worse.

He told BBC North West Tonight: "Three buildings were totally devastated. The front of the shop was found on the opposite side of the road, having been blown some 30 or 40 yards because of the extent of the detonation.

Hospital treatment

"Had it happened at a busy time then we could have had much more serious consequences."

Hussain, also 25, from Montague Street in Blackburn, had caused the explosion by igniting a mixture of gas and petrol.

The court was told he was seen walking away from the building covered in dust and with torn clothes. He later spent eight days in hospital being treated for burns.

Both men had denied arson and recklessly endangering life, but were found guilty last month.