Firefighters evacuated 14 people from homes on a Canterbury housing estate last night after a gas leak threatened a huge blast.

It happened around 10pm when a pipe was damaged inside a property in Forrester Close on the Poet's Estate, pumping gas into the house where four people were living.

Kent Fire Service and gas contractors Transco were called and the occupants and immediate neighbours told to get out and move to a safe distance.

Firefighter Trevor Oard said: "It could have been a nasty one and our main priority was to ensure the safety of everyone.

"We isolated the gas supply and then ventilated the building. But we had a fire engine at the scene for about an hour just in case there was a problem."