An 82-year-old woman had a lucky escape after a gas explosion in her kitchen blew out a wall and destroyed a conservatory.

The woman, of Corringham in south Essex, was in another room at the time and despite being shaken by the incident, was not hurt.

According to the fire service the explosion, which happened just before 7.20pm on Wednesday, was caused by a leak in the gas pipe coming into the property. The woman was rescued from the property by a neighbour.

Fire crews from Corringham and Orsett were sent to the scene.

The blaze was extinguished quickly and a small flame was left burning on the pipe so gas couldn’t build up.

However, the flame eventually went out, leading to a gas leak which resulted in two other homes being evacuated.

The fire was dealt with shortly before 7.40pm and the gas board were also on scene working to isolate the gas supply to make the area safe.

Assistant Divisional Officer Mark Turnbull said: “This was a very substantial gas explosion and the woman has had an extremely lucky escape.

“A neighbour came in to rescue her after the explosion and thanks to his bravery and quick thinking she is now safely out of the property and being looked after by Ambulance crews.

“We have evacuated around 12 people from two homes either side until the gas board can make the area safe.

“The explosion has caused a great deal of damage and it is incredibly lucky that no one was hurt, or even killed, by this explosion.

“We are standing by until we have received assurances that the scene is entirely safe.”

An investigation will be carried out to establish the cause of the blast.