Man injured in suspected Newcastle gas blast

A 65-year-old man was injured after a suspected gas explosion which blew the roof off his bungalow.

Emergency services were called to the incident in Huntcliffe Gardens in the Heaton area of Newcastle at 2.16pm yesterday.

The man was taken to the Royal Victoria Infirmary and his condition was later described as stable.

No-one else was injured in the incident, but the road was closed and other nearby residents evacuated for a time.

A Northumbria Police spokeswoman said a structural engineer and the gas board had been sent to the scene and an investigation was ongoing into the cause of the explosion.

Neighbours had reported a strong smell of gas after the explosion, which is not being treated as suspicious, she said.

PA