FEARS of a major blast resulted in homes being evacuated overnight as firefighters fought to prevent gas and oxygen cylinders from exploding at a plant in Kent.

Police cordoned off the area around the Pinden plant in Green Street Green Road, Longfield, near Dartford, shortly after firefighters were called at 1.30pm on Thursday to put out a blaze in the plant’s store room. The road was still closed this morning.

The blaze, said a spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service, was quickly put out but it was noticed that an acetylene gas cylinder was leaking - surrounded by six other cylinders containing oxygen.

A brigade risk assessor judged the danger was serious and police immediately threw a cordon around the area, with nearby residents evacuated to a distance of 100 metres.

Into Friday morning, firefighters from Dartford, Horton Kirby, Medway, Larkfield and Gravesend took turns to douse the cylinders continuously with high pressure water jets.

At one stage, said a spokesman, the water authorities were asked to increase water pressure.

“The cylinders presented a nasty cocktail and it could have been pretty devastating if they had gone off,” he added.