A large part of Highbridge’s Isleport Industrial Estate was sealed off on Thursday evening (July 8th) after a gas leak.
Police and fire crews closed the business park and several factories were evacuated when a postman’s van accidentally struck a gas mains outside Jester Prints in Hooper Close, fracturing it.
Emergency services were quickly on the scene and sealed off Bennett Road at the A38 and at Walrow ends soon after 5.10pm while an emergency gas repair team was called to make safe the damaged mains and repair it.
“We heard a loud hissing sound after the mains fractured,” Jester Prints owner Geoff Thorne, pictured, told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“I dialled 999 to alert the emergency services and within ten minutes we had the police and fire crews on scene.”
“I was amazed at how easy it was to fracture such an important mains supply and we wonder why the device is not better protected.”
Police diverted traffic around the scene of the accident, keeping pedestrians away from the area too. The business park was re-opened to traffic at 6.35pm and back to normal by 7pm.
A fire brigade spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Two fire engines from Burnham and a landrover with a gas detection monitor from Brigwater, were mobilised.”
“On their arrival, crews found that a vehicle had hit the gas main. Transco were in attendance and the service evacuated nearby factories and made the area safe whilst Transco isolated the gas.”
