VOLUNTEERS have been praised after 75 properties were evacuated following a gas leak in Lyme Regis.

Emergency services were called to Bridge Street at around 1.30pm on Tuesday after workers carrying out resurfacing work caused the leak that left onlookers feeling 'queezy' and suffering from headaches.

Police set up a cordon while fire crews from Charmouth and Lyme Regis used hose reel jets to spray the area and disperse the gas before the gas distribution company SGN arrived.

A Dorset Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 1.35pm by Dorset Fire and Rescue Service following reports of a burst gas main at Bridge Street, Lyme Regis.

“A cordon was set up and a number of nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution."

Those evacuated were looked after at Woodmead Halls after caretaker and deputy mayor Michaela Ellis opened up the building at 3pm.

Food was kindly provided by Presto Pasties and the Tesco store in Axminster.

Cllr Cheryl Reynolds, who also volunteered to look after residents, said a plan was already in place for an emergency.

She said: "It was quite well organised in the end.

"We have and an official plan for a while now but nobody had thought about a gas leak. It is good to know that we have a plan and we can learn from it."

Lyme resident Tracy West was evacuated from her home, but was allowed to go back home and pick up her hamster, Triss.

She said: "Lyme needs a definitive emergency plan.

"People need to be responsible for everything, otherwise it will become chaos.

"We were evacuated but my kids coming out of Woodmead School weren't told not to go into the town centre, they knew nothing about it.

"The volunteers up at Woodmead Halls were brilliant. Everyone was quite calm in the town, but it took a long time before we were told we had to be evacuated."

Cllr Reynolds admitted lessons had been learnt and that the town's community spirit was 'something to be proud of'.

"Looking back, someone should have called Woodroffe School and told them not to let the pupils wander into the town," she added.

"Michaela Ellis and Stan Williams did everything they could to help, and they were absolutely brilliant.

"We had a hamster, a cat and two dogs with us, it was quite strange.

"When Lyme is in need of something, everybody pulls together. It was a great atmosphere and something to be proud of."

Offers of support for those affected by the gas leak also flooded in via social media - with residents even offering beds and blankets.

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."

  • Dorset County Council beleives a multi-agency ermegency plan 'worked extremely well following the incidnet.

Simon Parker, head of emergency planning at Dorset County Council, said: "The emergency services began evacuation of properties in the vicinity of Bridge Street as soon as they became aware of the gas leak on Tuesday afternoon.

"We were notified of the incident at about 2.45pm, and had arranged a teleconference with all the agencies involved by 3pm. Within half an hour, Lyme Regis Town Council had opened Woodmead Halls as a rest centre and had staff on hand helping people evacuated from their homes. Staff from West Dorset District Council were also deployed from Dorchester to help manage the situation as quickly as possible.

"Children had left school when these arrangements were being put in place. The local Tesco supermarket very kindly made food available for people at the rest centre until the situation was resolved.

"We had multi-agency emergency plans in place to deal with the situation, and feel these worked extremely well. The decision to allow people back to their homes was made around 10pm, though there was no gas supply available to the affected properties at that time.

"We are very grateful to local hotels, B&Bs and a local holiday park which made overnight accommodation available to anyone who needed it, though the majority of residents decided to return home. Overall, it was a fantastic response from the local community and all the agencies involved."