A much-loved butcher's shop in New Ferry is to make a triumphant return, after its former premises in the town was demolished following a gas explosion in 2017.

Griffiths, known to many in New Ferry and across Wirral for its tasty custard tarts and sausage rolls, was a real loss to an already struggling community.

Now its owner, Dave Griffiths, says he plans to reopen his popular butcher’s shop within six to eight months time, which will surely delight locals who have long wished for its return.

The business will remain in New Ferry, with the new store being in what was the former Dave Pluck bookmakers' shop along Bebington Road in the town's precinct.

With several businesses now gone following the gas explosion, Mr Griffiths spoke about how he felt after the blast, and what has since motivated him to reopen.

He said: "Losing my business that had been there for 40 years, I was distraught.

"But a few weeks later, I decided to retire, since I thought I'd be too old to go back.

"Now having spent nearly five years at home, I've gotten very bored."

Despite having been approached to re-open his business elsewhere, Mr Griffths felt it was important for him to stay in New Ferry.

He added: "I've been there since I was 15, and all of my working life has been in New Ferry.

"I'd like to support the people and my friends there." 

Mark Craig, chair of New Ferry Residents Association and secretary of New Ferry Community Land Trust, welcomed the news of its return, and believes the acquisition of the former betting shop shows the resilience of the area.

He said: "Griffiths was one of New Ferry's best loved businesses.

"Its return sends out a signal that New Ferry is not a dead district centre; it has been dormant for the last few years.

"With new shops and around 80 new homes to be built in and around the district centre in the coming years, the future of New Ferry is looking brighter."