A mural paying tribute to 14 young people who lost their lives as a result of the New Cross fire has been unveiled to mark its 41st anniversary.

On January 18, 1981, a blaze ripped gutted a small, terraced house on New Cross Road, killing 13 young black people, aged between 14 and 22, who gathered to celebrate a 16th birthday party.

Two years later, the fire claimed a 14th victim, survivor Anthony Berbeck, who committed suicide, traumatised by his experience and the loss of his friends.

Richard Simpson, owner and founder of the Cummin Up Caribbean chain, arranged for a mural to be painted outside his restaurant, 87 doors down from the site of the tragedy.

He told BBC: "We lost friends. I lost Glenton Powell who used to eat in my house and watch television in my house.

“We are all personally affected and the voices of those who walk around with trauma are not being heard.

"We are going to do this for our friends, those who were playing the music, those who were the celebrants, those who were enjoying themselves, and we are going to mark this now on New Cross Road, where it took place."

The mural, titled 87, was unveiled by Wayne Haynes, who survived the blaze, alongside the family and friends of victims.

Mr Simpson revealed the meaning behind the work, telling BBC: "It's a silhouette. The silhouette represents the anonymous people who didn't have that voice and so there will be lots of imagery and significance within it.

"This is something that is very personal to me. This week I am going to be introduced to one of Glenton's relatives. I will be able to tell her the story of him that she hasn't been able to hear yet."

Frustration at the failure of authorities to properly investigate the incident and the perceived indifference of the government to the suffering of the black community culminated in protests, as 20,000 marched through London under the slogan “13 dead, nothing said.”

More than 40 years and various inquests later, a conclusion over what sparked the fatal fire has never been reached.

In an initial inquest, held three months after the fire, it was suggested the fire had originated from a flame inside the party.

The far-right National Front was active in parts of London at the time, and rumours circulated that a petrol bomb may have caused the inferno.

The names of the victims are: Paul Ruddock, 22; Lloyd Richard Hall, 20; Humphrey Brown, 18; Peter Campbell, 18; Steve Collins, 17; Gerry Francis, 17; Patrick Cummings, 16; Rosalind Henry, 16; Yvonne Ruddock, 16; Owen Thompson, 16, Patricia Denise Johnston, 15; Glenton Powell, 15; Andrew Gooding, 14.

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