A GAS LEAK that caused 75 homes to be evacuated in Lyme Regis has now been fixed.

Yesterday afternoon a major gas leak caused the town centre to be evacuated. 

In a statement from Bridport's Safer Neighbourhood Team they said the problem had now been fixed, adding: “The cordon has been lifted and it is safe for people to return to their homes.

“Shops and businesses in the town should be open as usual this morning. Obviously Church Street and Bridge Street will remain closed due to the resurfacing and building works being carried out this week and next.

“We would like to thank everyone for their patience and assistance with this incident and apologise for any inconvenience while this leak was fixed.”

The officers also urged people to stay clear of the area, adding: "The bottom of Broad Street is blocked off, so there is no access to Cart Road, Cobb Gate car park and no turning space outside the Rock Point.

"Please don't ignore the signs explaining this at the top of Broad Street, or you may get a little stuck."

Workers carrying out resurfacing work fractured a gas main in Broad Street at approximately 1pm on Tuesday and residents were then evacuated by the emergency services up past the Co-Op store.

Police, together with fire crews from Charmouth and Lyme Regis, were sent to the scene and firefighters used hose reel jets to spray the area and disperse the gas before the gas distribution company SGN arrived.

An emergency evacuation centre was set up at Woodmead Halls with businesses in and around the area also being evacuated. 

Police warned residents that it could take until midnight to repair the gas leak and people in the town clubbed together to offer emergency accommodation to those who could not return to their homes. 

Diane Earle of The Hub youth club said the club was in the cordoned off zone and she was advised by police not to open the building. 

Simon West of Maxic Oxygen book store, based on Broad Street, said: “They were doing resurfacing work in Lyme Regis when a road plainer fractured a gas main.

“There was a very strong smell of gas and some people said they felt queasy and had headaches, so everyone was evacuated.

“Presto Pasties, who were forced to close, have been brilliant and provided us all with food.”

Michaela Ellis, Woodmead Halls caretaker and deputy mayor, said she came to open up the halls as people needed to be evacuated from the town centre.

She added: “Everyone has banded together and they have all been brilliant. It shows the tremendous spirit of Lyme and the plan in place wasn’t too bad.”

Offers of support for those affected by the gas leak also flooded in via social media.
Alison Curtis from Clarodene Residential Home on View Road offered accommodation to residents of the town who had nowhere else to stay, while Beaminster resident Chrissy Baldwin offered blankets to Woodmead Halls.

A spokesperson for SGN, said: “We were called to Broad Street after reports that a third party had caused damage to our gas pipe, and we are the company responsible for the gas network.

“Approximately 75 properties have been evacuated by the fire service and the police and we are continuing to assess the extent of the damage.

“We are hoping to undertake a repair as soon as possible, but it is not known when people will be able to return to their homes.”