Twenty years ago Warrington was rocked by an IRA bomb attack which killed two children in the town. March 20 marks 20 years since the 1993 bombings. Over the next week, we will be looking at what happened then through the eyes of some of the key people involved.

THE chief fire officer in 1993 said evacuating the area was crews’ prime concern despite many worrying whether their own loved ones had been caught in the blast.

Dennis Davis, aged 65, said: “There was a profound sense of shock and worry but the crews from Warrington, Stockton Heath and Birchwood all got on and did the job, setting up a triage point near Boots where nappies were used as dressings.

“The prime concern for the initial crews that went into the area was for the people and getting them out of the area which is what drives you forward.

“It sticks in everybody’s mind, particularly the first crews who were on the scene looking after their own people in their own town.

“This was an attack on a normal, everyday English town and somebody had done it the day before Mother’s Day when lots of kids were shopping alone getting something for their mum.

“People across the country responded to Warrington and the amount of flowers left shows a genuine public out-pouring of concern.

“The people of Warrington had done nothing wrong and that sense of concern was very genuine.”