RESIDENTS of a Suffolk village were evacuated from their homes over fears of an explosion during a house fire.

About 40 people were evacuated from their homes on the Norfolk/Suffolk border yesterday afternoon amid fears of an explosion of nearby gas cylinders.

Fire crews were called to Studio Corner, The Street, Mendham, at 2.10pm after a garden fire broke out near two large acetylene cylinders.

A cordon of 100m was put in place and residents living within that zone were taken to a nearby church and an elderly care home while crews assessed the situation.

Firefighters from Harleston, Stradbroke and Bungay cooled the cylinders and most people were allowed to return to their homes