25 years since the IRA bombing in Manchester

On Saturday 15 June 1996, the Provisional IRA carried out an attack on Manchester

Things would never be the same again

(Video from AP Archive. Originally filmed the day after the explosion. The full scale of the devastation caused by the Manchester bomb blast has become  clear after police Sunday took the first camera crews to the heart of the explosion.) 

A 1,500-kilogram lorry bomb was detonated on Corporation Street. It was the biggest bomb detonated in Great Britain since the Second World War.

More news from across Manchester

Your memories of that day

Helen, a woman who lives in Middleton, told us: "We were about to get the bus from Alkrington, Middleton into Manchester. We heard the explosion and I obviously wondered what it was. My husband, who had spent time in the army, said straight away that it was a bomb."

James, who lived 10 minutes away from the city centre at the time, added: "It was a scary time but the resilience after was incredible. People from Manchester will never ever give in."

The aftermath

The impact was obviously huge. The Home Office suggested that an estimated 400 businesses within half a mile of the blast were affected Some never recovered.

In terms of policing and safety, new security safeguards were included in the redevelopment of the city centre including retractable bollards and pedestrianised streets.

Some people have since argued that the bomb was the best thing to have happened to Manchester. A statement disputed by Howard Bernstein, the chief executive of Manchester City Council. He argued: 

"People say the bomb turned out to be a great thing for Manchester. That's rubbish.

"There was already substantial regeneration and redevelopment taking place in the city centre."