Gas leak drama in town centre (From Swindon Advertiser)

Gas leak drama in town centre

7:30am Saturday 11th February 2012 in News

The scene in Morely Street yesterday

AN AREA of the town centre was cordoned off yesterday morning following a gas leak in an empty shop.

The former Burger King in Regent Street was at the centre of the incident after it was reported to the fire service and police at approximately 8.50am.

A fire appliance from Swindon and several police officers arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area to the rear of the building in Morley Street near the car park, as well as a large area at the front of the shop.

Some 15 shops were forced to close for more than an hour while the emergency services waited for gas engineers to deal with the leak.

Crew manager Pete Crow said: “When we arrived the gas board were there, and contractors had evacuated all shops around the affected building.

“We were standing by and liaising with the gas board throughout the morning, as well as the police and civil protection.

“Steady progress was made with the gas board using air monitoring equipment to make sure it was not explosive. The cause is currently unknown.”

The cordon was lifted at approximately 10.30am and shopkeepers were able to return to business as usual.

Mick Green, owner of Knock ’Em Dead salon in Morley Street, said: “We came back at about 10.30am but had cancelled several appointments as we didn’t know how long it would take.”

Bianca Niester, of Style Council, said: “We were told we had to be about a quarter of a mile away from the cordon, but we could stay although it would be at our own risk. It wasn’t anything major.”

Acting police sergeant Jake Tuck said: “All the shops were checked over and everyone has been able to return to work.

“Wales and West Utilities have done their job a treat and made sure everything was sorted out as quickly as possible.”