Man gets a nasty surprise when a gas main EXPLODES under his feet

Moment a man building a fence gets a nasty surprise when a gas main EXPLODES under his feet as he drills poles into the ground

• A workman had a lucky escape after a gas pipe exploded in ground beneath him
• A video captures the shocking incident in Wessington near Alfreton, Derbyshire
• Some 30 residents had to be evacuated from their homes as gas poured out

The is the petrifying moment a man had a close call after a gas pipe exploded in the ground beneath him.

The man was busy fixing a fence in the village of Wessington near Alfreton, Derbyshire, when the accident occurred.

The clip shows the contractor manning machinery outside, Derbyshire Live reports.

All of a sudden, an explosion throws the man into the air and blows off turf from the grassed field as gas pours into the air.

The man can be seen scrambling to get on to his feet before he flees the accident site.

The man was working on site (left) when the gas pipe suddenly exploded beneath him (right)

Some 30 residents had to be evacuated from their properties on Tuesday after gas poured from the pipe.

Married dad-of-two Alan, 62, a company director said: ‘We were on holiday down in the Cotswolds at the time, I had arranged for both my lads to water the garden.

‘My wife and I were coming out of John Lewis and one of my boys called and said he couldn’t water the garden because the entire street was blocked off.

‘He said there were fire engines everywhere and there had been a gas explosion so we checked out of our hotel and bombed back home.

‘My wife Kim’s new car was on the drive and covered in soil and stone. Luckily it wasn’t too badly damaged.

‘I watched back the CCTV footage and just thought ‘Jesus Christ’. The noise of the blast was incredible.

‘The guy who owns the farm only bought it a year ago. The contractor was putting fences in. They’ve bought six fields in total and he was working on the last one.

‘It looks like he’d put his hand down to reach for something that was blocking the post.

‘He goes to get a metal spike out of his machinery and that’s what went through the pipe I believe.

‘It looked like a big pin, a round plate on the top and a big spike going down. You can see that even bounces up before it explodes.

‘He’s a very lucky bloke. He was completely fine but obviously a little shook up. I can’t believe he walked away uninjured, it must have come as quite a shock.

‘There were about 30 gas vans on site with two blokes in each. It was a massive response.

Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service the risk of the leaking gas starting a fire mean t residents had to stay away from home for several hours.

The gas distribution network Cadent confirmed the damaged was inflicted on the gas pipe by a third party.

A Cadent spokesperson said: ‘Cadent engineers worked through the night on an emergency repair after a pipe was hit by a third party on Brackenfield Lane in Wessington on the morning of 21 June. Our teams have made everything safe and remain on site to complete the repair work.

‘There has been no interruption to the local gas supply. Households that were evacuated yesterday as a safety precaution have now been able to return home. We’d like to thank everyone for their patience.

‘This was a great response by the emergency services, including our team, in making sure everyone was kept safe. If you ever smell gas, here or anywhere, it is important to act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.’

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