UP TO 1,450 people were evacuated from properties in London’s West End last night due to a gas leak.
A nightclub, hotel and a major railway station remained closed this morning after a gas main ruptured in the early hours of this morning.
The alarm was raised around 2am when London Fire Brigade was called to the scene after high levels of natural gas were detected at the scene in Craven Street near Charing Cross station.
Witnesses described chaos as doormen of the Heaven nightclub ordered partygoers to leave while guests at a nearby hotel were moved into emergency accommodation.
The Strand, a busy London city centre landmark, has been closed this morning and a 150m cordon put in place while National Grid engineers try to isolate the leak.
The London Metropolitan Police tweeted that they were working alongside the fire service and partner agencies to get everything back to normality.
Disruption caused by gas leak in #Strand expected to last some time. Officers continue to assist @LondonFire & partner agencies. Cordon and road closures remain in place as a precaution - members of public/ motorists advised to avoid area.
— MPS Westminster (@MPSWestminster) January 23, 2018
A fire brigade spokesman said: "We are assisting police on the Strand after a ruptured gas main was discovered using detection equipment and high levels of natural gas were detected in the atmosphere.
"As a precaution, approximately 1,450 people have been evacuated. They are from a hotel and a night club.
"It is ongoing and engineers are down at the scene trying to isolate the leak. There are still high readings of natural gas in the area.
"We are working to sort it out as quickly as possible."
A large cordon is in place in Central London because of a gas leak...
⛔️ The Strand and Northumberland Avenue are closed
🚫 No trains running in/out of Charing Cross and Waterloo East [ro] pic.twitter.com/85DyR1iO9W— BBC Radio London Travel (@BBCTravelAlert) January 23, 2018
