Worksop gas blast: 'Almighty bang' terrified residents with 'five houses hit'

Residents of a quiet town rocked by a shock suspected gas explosion that nearly levelled several homes have told how they were left "petrified" by the incident.

declared a major incident on Saturday evening following a blast on a residential street in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, with fire crews and ambulances rushing to the scene of a partially destroyed property. Emergency services evacuated several other homes on John Street after 7pm, with no indication of casualties early on following the incident. Locals waking up to a partially wrecked neighbourhood this morning have recounted the intense initial moments of the explosion as responders remain at the scene.

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One woman, who didn’t want to be named, told The the explosion happened while she was in her garden taking her washing in. She said she was left "absolutely petrified" after hearing a massive bang, finding the blast had hit her conservtory, before her husband ran to survey the scene.

She said: "I was absolutely petrified. There was this almighty bang and took my conservatory was damaged. My husband ran out. There was black smoke and the house roof behind me was caved in." The woman added that she spent the night in her camper van, and that the blast appeared to have "well damaged" at least five homes.

She continued: "We were evacuated but I was allowed to get my camper van which is where I slept. It think it took five houses - well damaged them." Other locals have told of similar experiences, taking to social media to recount the moment the explosion left their homes "shaking".

One woman living nearby said she heard a "loud bang", adding the resulting shockwave "shook my windows". Another added that she was shopping in when she felt a "massive shake and bang", while a third said she felt the explosion as far away as Gateford, initially believing she thought she was "imagining things".

Chief Inspector Neil Humphris declared the explosion a major incident on Sunday, with emergency services stationed in the area overnight. He said the service would investigate the incident, with Nottingham Fire and Rescue saying it had sent firefighters from four stations.

A statement from the fire service said: “This has now been declared a major incident, and we are likely to be on scene throughout the night and even into Sunday morning, owing to the significant damage to the building.”

Residents evacuated overnight have been sent to the nearby Crown Place community centre as emergency services remain on standby this morning. Members of the public have been asked to avoid the area.