STAFF at a busy Hereford petrol station may have prevented a major explosion by spotting a dangerous fuel leak.

The Texaco garage on Holmer Road was sealed off and evacuated yesterday (Jul 20) after LPG fuel leaked from a car on the forecourt.

Fire crews from Leominster and Bromyard attended after garage staff noticed the leak and raised the alarm at 2.20pm.

Firefighters carrying breathing apparatus used a gas monitor as they approached the car to reseal the leaking value.

Their first attempt was unsuccessful and they later fitted the vehicle with a blank cap supplied by an Autogas engineer.

The station reopened after 4pm when the car was removed and taken to a Autogas garage for safety checks.

LPG is volatile and highly flammable when exposed to oxygen and even the slightest spark can cause a major explosion.

Martin Lown, fire station commander, praised the garage staff for spotting the leak and the way the handled the incident.

He said: “They alerted the emergency services and then evacuated the premises, isolated the power and set up a cordon.

“With these safety measures in place, firefighters could then get straight on with their attempts to stem the leak,” he added.

Mr Lown said similar incidents were becoming common and urged motorists to get their LPG system serviced regularly.