THE heartbroken brother of a mum murdered by her husband alongside her four daughters has spoken of the traumatic task of cleaning up the fire-ravaged house.

Barry Khanan, 39, is now set to leave Accrington in a bid to escape the horror and try and start a new chapter in his life.

In an exclusive interview with the Observer, he revealed that an offer of £85,000 for the house in Tremellen Street, Accrington, had now been accepted.

But he slammed an insurance company for refusing to make any payout.

Barry's sister Caneze Riaz, 39, and her daughters Sayrah, 16, Sophia, 13, Alicia 10, and Hannah, three, were killed last October by Mohammed Riaz, 49, who set the house alight.

Caneze's son Adam, 17, died from an aggressive form of cancer weeks after attending his family's funeral. On the night of the fatal blaze, he was in Christie's receiving treatment.

Mohammed, described as a "controlling coward", used petrol and matches to ignite the flames and police believe he had planned to cause a major explosion by switching on a gas fire.

Closest relative Barry, of Countess Street, Accrington, is moving to Bolton with his mum June and said he is regretfully leaving his Asian roots behind.

The blaze house has been up for sale and the offer of £85,000 is understood to be around £40,000 below its market value.

Along with his uncles Tommy, Jimmy and Frank and cousin Vicky Entwistle, Barry had to:

  • Remove 60 bin bags of burned clothing.
  • Carry out destroyed furniture.
  • Clean up the bloody handprints and footprints of his family's murderer.

He said: "My family and the trauma counsellors had told me not to go upstairs because it would be too much for me.

"The first time I did my heart was pounding, I just didn't know what to expect. It was like someone had painted the inside of the house black.

"I was very upset at first but then I had to be realistic and get the job done because nobody else would do it.

"I felt detached, like it wasn't my family's house. I actually felt better after I had seen it because it put my mind at rest.

"I could see that my family hadn't been burned. I had visions of them running through the house screaming so I felt a little comfort knowing that wasn't the case."

The inside of Caneze's house has now been fully refurbished but the only furniture salvageable was a suite. The property did not suffer any structural damage but Barry said there were too many unhappy memories.

He said: "It is a beautiful family home with a lot of potential but it's too sad for my mother and I to even think about staying in Accrington.

"It's been a very difficult time for us with some people even using emotional blackmail to try and reduce the price of the house but they were just time-wasters.

"There are still a handful of people who think that the murdering scum who did this should have been buried in Accrington but I don't think he deserved to be buried on British soil where my family has been laid to rest. That's why I sent his body back to Pakistan.

"Because of this decision of mine, there were a few people who tried to complicate Adam's funeral by making up hurtful stories about him.

"My sister did a lot for the community and the last thing she deserved was people talking about her son in that way. These people know who they are and they should all just keep their noses out of my business."

Barry and June will be living together in Bolton but the pair know the grieving process has only just begun.

Barry said: "I'm looking forward to moving but the problem is I'm leaving the town I grew up in and I'm leaving without my family. It's like an empty happiness.

"We visit the family grave every couple of days and we went on what would have been Alicia's 11th birthday.

"I go into my sister's house every couple of days. When I go in I feel miserable and when I don't go in I feel miserable. The house feels really quiet, like everyone is out for the day, but then I realise they are never coming back.

"It is going to be very hard to move on. I just feel numb inside. Maybe I will start my own family in the future. I try to stay positive but I am cut up inside.

"We have a lot of close family and friends who have helped us get through this but we have all suffered in our own way.

"We have suffered a great loss and we will never be the same two people again but it makes it harder when people are interfering all the time. It's hard to move on but we don't have a choice."