Homes evacuated after car crashes into gas substation

Several properties have been evacuated after a car crashed into a gas substation in West Sussex.

Residents from six flats and one house were taken to a church hall after the crash in Pagham Road, near Nyetimber, on Monday morning.

A 100-metre evacuation cordon was put in place and people are advised to avoid the area while emergency services attend the incident, West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service said.

"We are currently dealing with a road traffic incident – a car has crashed into a gas substation in Pagham Road," a spokesperson said.

Three fire engines were sent to the scene, the fire service said.

Those evacuated have been transferred to Pagham Church Hall.

Dan Brown, spokesperson for gas company SGN, said it was "too early to say" when affected residents may be able to return home.

"We're working to repair our gas governor at the junction of Pagham Road and Hook Lane following third party damage," he said.

"Our engineers are assessing the damage to the governor and carrying out safety checks in the area."

This junction is currently closed to motorists, SGN said.

Local resident Jon Coker and his mother were among the evacuees.

"I heard a knocking on the door at 04:30, and I was really disorientated, I didn't know what was going on. It was the police," he said.

Mr Coker said that, once outside, the police were still at the scene but "they couldn't smell it [the gas] anymore".

"It wasn't a great start to a Monday morning," he added.

Fellow resident Mark Stevens said he heard a "bang" at about 03:30 GMT.

"It just rocked the building a little bit, so I came out and had a look, and I heard the hissing of the gas coming out," he added.

Once outside, Mr Stevens said he noticed that a car had "crashed between the bus stop and the bush, and taken out one of the surface gas mains".

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