THE exclusion zone around a major blaze at a Kent workshop has been reduced as firefighters brought the flames under control.

A 400m area had been cordoned off around the premises in Monkton Road, Minster, near Ramsgate, amid concerns gas canisters could explode.

That has now been narrowed to 200m after the fire was put out. However, four fire crews are still at the scene cooling down the cylinders and damping the area around the blaze.

Around 30 firefighters were called out just before 1pm today. About 20 residents were evacuated and Monkton Road was closed.

Initially, fire crews were pulled back from the workshop while they waited for a hazardous material officer to assess the situation.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said: "We believe there could be propane canisters inside so we pulled our officers back as a health and safety precaution."

Police, emergency planners, the Red Cross Victim Support Unit, and an EDF Energy engineer were also called to the scene.