Homes evacuated in village over 'gas leak' -emergency crews shut roads in 'major incident'
A gas leak has caused homes to be evacuated and roads to close in a leafy village.
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Police officers and firefighters are at the scene of the serious incident in the village of Upper Caldecote near Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, along with gas and electricity boards. Crews from Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue confirmed they were at the scene in Pound Close at 10am on Monday, June 6.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service tweeted: "Residents in the area may be temporarily affected by cuts to their gas and electricity. Some evacuations have also begun.
"Please be aware of road closures and avoid the area if possible."
At least five roads have been closed by the emergency services. Bedfordshire Police said diversions are in place with Pound Close and part of Hitchin Road, Biggleswade Road and Ickwell Road closed to motorists.
Traffic service programme InRix confirmed that nearby Vinegar Lane is also shut because of a "gas leak".
Crews are currently in attendance at a large incident in Pound Close, Upper Caldecote. Gas and Electricity boards are also present along with Bedfordshire Police @bedspolice. pic.twitter.com/VWP732aDiA
— Beds Fire and Rescue (@BedsFire) June 6, 2022
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BRFS) confirmed it was called at about 8.12am to Pound Close, Upper Caldecote, after reports a 65mm gas main had been ruptured by a mechanical digger and then ignited by the electricity main.
Crews from Bedford and Sandy, as well as the Gas and Electricity boards, Bedfordshire Police and representatives from the local council have been at the scene.
The gas board helped stop the leak by capping the main gas extension, according to Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.
A BFRS spokeswoman said: "Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service worked quickly to isolate and extinguish the fire using one covering jet and a gas monitor."
She added that a 100 metre cordon was put up by the service and police with properties in the area temporarily evacuated.
As of 11.10am roads were expected to remain closed for about another 30 minutes.
By about 11am, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue had left the incident in the care of the Gas Board.
However, a Bedfordshire Police spokeswoman said the roads are likely to be closed for some time for the safety of the public with motorists advised to seek alternative routes as diversions are put in place.
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News of the gas leak comes after a power cut saw flights grounded and severe delays at Luton Airport on Sunday, June 5.
The power failure at the major international airport in Bedfordshire was reportedly at about 6am.
Luton was forced to postpone a number of departures as a result, leading to knock-on effects for flights scheduled to take off for most of the day.
The hub later confirmed engineers had fixed the issue.