House is destroyed by explosion

The explosion is reported to have rocked the area

A suspected gas explosion has destroyed a terraced house in Malmesbury.

The blast happened at about 1630 BST in Burnham Road in the Horsefair area of the Wiltshire town.

The house's occupant Jimmy Brown, 80, escaped with cuts and bruises together with his dog Bessie. Nobody else was injured.

Police cordoned off roads in the area while emergency services were at the scene. Six homes and 15 cars were also damaged.

Lee Goodship, landlord of the Three Cups Inn public house said his pub was about two-minutes walk from the blast:

Affected residents have been housed at a nearby leisure centre

"There was a huge explosion and one of the regulars thought something had hit the front of the pub.

"There have been a lot of gas works in the area and they are in that part of town."

Residents whose homes were damaged in the blast were being taken to a nearby leisure centre while police and fire crews worked to secure the scene.