Bedfordshire Police have evacuated homes around Cleat Hill, Bedford after an explosion at a home in the area yesterday (Saturday).
A man died and a woman was seriously injured in the explosion that happened at around 7:30am.
Read: Man dies after Cleat Hill explosion and house fire
While the exact cause of the explosion is still being investigated, the area has seen a high level of natural gas in the ground, which has led to concerns for safety.
Detective Chief Superintendent Zara Brown from Bedfordshire Police said: “We are still at the scene of the incident in Cleat Hill following the explosion at a residential property yesterday morning.
“Following the explosion and subsequent identification of increased levels of natural gas in the ground, an evacuation of the immediate area has been undertaken and a cordon and road closures remain in place as a precaution.”
DCS Brown also says the gas build-up is not thought to be caused by damage to a gas pipe.
“The gas levels identified are thought to be naturally occurring gasses from an underground source and not coming from the gas pipe network in the area,” she said.
“Safety is our main priority, and so we are still advising for people to avoid the Cleat Hill area whilst work at the scene continues.
“We also want to remind any drone owners that the area is currently a no-fly zone.
“We know that residents of nearby properties want to get back into their homes as quickly as possible and we thank them for their continued support and patience.
“We are working closely with multiple partners as part of our investigation into the circumstances and our thoughts remain with the family and friends of the person who sadly died and the person who is being treated in hospital.”
Road closed
Bedford Borough Council have also confirmed that Cleat Hill will be closed for at least another 24 hours with some other roads in the area possibly affected by the evacuation.
In a statement, they said: “We are asking people to continue to avoid the area and find alternative routes for travel”.
Update: This article and headline were updated on 21 October 2024 at 8:45am to make a minor amendment at the request of Bedfordshire Police.
