VICTIMS of a fire which ravaged five listed homes have spoken out a year after they saw their houses go up in smoke.

Five families were left homeless on December 7 last year when flames tore through the roves and into the lower levels of their Georgian terraces.

Fire broke out in the loft of one of the Grade II listed buildings and within minutes the house was ablaze. Strong winds meant the adjacent properties also caught alight.

Jackie and Bill Broadley were in number 32, where the fire started, at the time.

“I still have flashbacks,” Jackie said.

“I lost all my personal possessions. I never got anything back.

“The first six or seven months were hard but I had to pull myself together. I have a new grandchild so things are going in a positive direction now. It’s been a good year really.”

Roger Hamer, who lived in number 31 with his wife Lavinia said: “It is quite spooky to think back. On the anniversary I was at my daughter’s house writing my Christmas cards and I realised that is what I was doing when I saw flames coming out of the back of the house. But the house hasn’t burnt down this year.”