MP urges demolition of Hillsborough's West Stand

An MP has called for the stand where a fatal crush resulted in the deaths of 97 people in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster to be demolished.

Clive Betts said he thought it was "a disgrace...to the football world" that the West Stand at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium was still in use.

Asked if he thought it should be ripped down, the Sheffield South East MP agreed saying it was "quite awful that it is still there 36 years later".

Sheffield Wednesday said it was not in a position to respond to his comments due to the club being in administration.

Speaking to BBC Radio Sheffield, Mr Betts said: "I go to Hillsborough every home game, I go on the kop, I look across at the West Stand, the Leppings Lane end where 97 people died 36 years ago, and it's still there, almost untouched."

He said he believed the incoming owner of the club should make it a priority to "get that stand down", saying it was "a memorial of itself to that terrible tragedy".

His comments come after the publication of a report which found 12 retired police officers would have faced gross misconduct proceedings under today's laws.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct said there had been "fundamental failures" by South Yorkshire Police officers on the day of the tragedy.

It said they had made "concerted efforts" to blame the fans for the crush, which killed 97 Liverpool supporters.

Peter Scarfe, founder of the Hillsborough Survivors Support Alliance, said the stand "should have been torn down a long time ago".

He arranges trips for survivors to go back to Sheffield to "lay the demons to rest" and "realise that at the end of the day it was a location, and nothing more than that".

"But still, myself and many others look at it thinking, it hasn't changed," he said.

He also said he did not think the current memorial plaque at Hillsborough was "fit for purpose" given the scale of the tragedy.

Steve Rotherham, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said he hoped for a "poignant tribute" to be made at the ground.

He said it had taken "courage" for Mr Betts to speak up about demolishing the stand.

"I've always been guided by the families, and I know a number of them have wanted this to happen," he added.

Listen to highlights from South Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North