Ten people have been taken to hospital one with life threatening injuries after an explosion in a residential street in Clacton, Essex.

Around 30 firefighters as well as police and paramedics are at the scene where homes have been evacuated following the blast.

Emergency services were alerted to the explosion in Cloes Lane at around 8.30am, which sparked a gas-fuelled fire at a semi-detached house, ripping through the neighbouring property.

Several other homes were damaged and affected by flying debris which smashed through windows and hit vehicles parked right up the length of the street.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service, which is investigating the blast, tweeted the explosion “flattened two houses and badly damaged a third”, but everyone was accounted for.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Paul Hill said although not confirmed yet, the probable cause of the fire was a domestic gas fault.

“The power of an explosion fuelled by gas can be seen here and in the neighbouring streets – it is immense,” he said.

Residents were told to get out of their homes and to leave the area which has been cordoned off by police while firefighters, aided by dogs, search through the rubble and gas board officials examine the scene.

Some 19 properties have been evacuated, 10 in Cloes Lane and nine in Dedham Avenue.

An evacuation centre has been set up in Clacton Town Hall for those who have had to leave their homes and who had earlier sought refuge at St Clare’s RC Primary School and the Brace of Pistols pub.

The electricity has also been turned off in Cloes Lane, which Essex Police said would affect “the whole street for some time”.

An Essex Police spokesman said: “Several houses have been damaged. The immediate area is currently being evacuated. People are advised to avoid the area while emergency services deal with the scene.”

Residents described hearing a “horrendous” blast which shook their homes and forced them out onto the streets.

Ian Hilbery told Sky News: “Basically there was a horrendous bang – debris, wood, upvc loft insulation, wood … was blown a good 800 to 900 yards up the road and there was traffic going past at the time.

“Thankfully, it was just before the kids were heading into school.

“The emergency services were on the scene within five minutes.

“There were a few walking wounded and a few people lying in the road and on the pavement,” he added.

Stuart Coe was having breakfast with his family when he said he “heard this almighty bang and literally everything shook in the house”.

He told it was “like a bomb going off”.

One of the neighbours reported seeing gas workers in the area yesterday, he added.

Watch Clacton Essex Gas Explosion Video

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