Evacuated residents told they can return home after explosion in Dane Avenue, Barrow

Residents in Dane Avenue have since been allowed to return home after being evacuated following an underground explosion.

Dane Avenue and all surrounding roads are now fully reopened to residents, pedestrians and vehicles after the incident at 9.24pm last night. 

Officers thanked residents for their patience as emergency services dealt with a gas main fire.

Evacuations were carried out covering Dane Avenue and a 100 metre radius around the affected area.

Residents requiring medical assistance with the evacuation were supported by North West Ambulance Service.

A spokesperson for Electricity North West, said: “An underground cable fault caused the loss of supply to 1,091 customers in Barrow at 9.24pm yesterday.

“Our engineers quickly arrived on site to ensure the area was safe. Engineers restored power to 375 customers within three minutes and they worked through the night to restore the remaining 716 customers at 12.31am.

“The fault, which occurred on a piece of equipment underneath the pavement, caused external damage onsite, but we would like to assure customers that incidents of this nature are extremely rare and we regularly maintain our underground network to ensure customers across the North West receive a reliable supply of electricity.

“Our engineers will be back onsite to carryout final repairs and we would like to thank Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service for their support and if customers would like any further information they can contact us on Twitter, Facebook or on our website.”