Man jailed for causing explosion at his home in Derby

A man who caused an explosion that destroyed his own home and damaged five neighbouring properties has been jailed. Paul Solway had been having a "meltdown" after his partner told him she wanted him to move out of the terraced property they shared in Eden Street, Alvaston, Derby, in June 2025, a court heard. Derbyshire Police said the 58-year-old disconnected the gas main in the basement and then set fire to a chair in his kitchen to cause the blast. Solway pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial in January to six counts of damaging property, being reckless as to whether life was endangered and was jailed for 11 years at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday. The sentencing hearing was told emergency services were called to a suspected gas explosion at the house, owned by Solway's partner Joanne Waterfall, on the evening of 10 June. The blast caused major damage to the property and two neighbouring buildings, which subsequently had to be demolished. Derbyshire Police said investigations found the explosion was deliberate and had been caused by the ignition of natural gas following deliberate tampering with the gas supply main. After disconnecting the gas main in the basement of the h