Service marks the 40th anniversary of the M62 coach bomb

Memorial service to IRA bomb victims killed on the M62 in 1974, Hartshead Moor Services, Brighouse

A memorial service to mark the 40th anniversary of the M62 coach bomb that killed 12 people was held at Hartshead Moor service station.

On Monday February 4, 1974, a 50lb IRA bomb ripped through the coach carrying service personnel, their wives and families along the M62 between Birstall and Birkenshaw, reducing the vehicle to a twisted heap of metal.

Hartshead Moor was used as a first aid station for those wounded in the blast and has since become the focal point for those wishing to honour those killed and injured.

In 2009 a permanent memorial was created outside the service station and each year it hosts a service to mark the anniversary.

Among those paying their respects were the Mayors of Kirklees, Calderdale and Oldham, and members of the Royal British Legion.