Homes evacuated by emergency services after gas leak

Residents were evacuated from their homes after a gas leak.

Roads surrounding Elizabeth Way and Edinburgh Way in Harlow, Essex, had been closed while repair works were undertaken.

About 30 flats were evacuated and a 100m (about 325ft) cordon was put in place, the fire service said.

The fire service was called at 11:50 BST and said repairs were complete by 20:00.

It worked alongside Cadent Gas to resolve the leak, it said.

Greater Anglia had been asked not to stop its trains at Harlow.

A spokesman for Cadent said it was called at 11:12 BST to reports a gas main had been damaged by a third party, resulting in the leak.

He added: "Our teams were quickly dispatched to the site with the key priority being to assess the situation and then make the pipework safe as quickly as possible.

Cadent urged anyone who smelled gas to get in touch, as it might not be related to the incident in Elizabeth Way.

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