Residents on Upper Road in Shrewsbury spent Saturday afternoon in a bowling-club hall after a car slammed into the rear of a house, ruptured a gas line and forced police to evacuate neighbouring terraces while engineers worked to shut off the supply.
How the crash unfolded
West Mercia Police said officers were called to the property just after 1:38pm GMT and found a vehicle embedded against the building. Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service crews joined paramedics on scene, though the force did not report serious injuries in its initial statement.
Neighbours told the BBC they smelled gas within minutes of the impact. Police closed Upper Road at both ends and diverted traffic away from Hereford Road so specialist appliances could ventilate the street.
What emergency services did on the ground
Firefighters confirmed a gas leak and worked with the distribution network to isolate the damaged main. A police spokesperson said a refuge area opened at Meole Brace Bowling Club for households that could not return inside while readings were taken.
Residents described packing medication and pets before walking to the club under escort. One homeowner, Lucie Plant, said officers told her street to prepare for a wider evacuation once monitors detected elevated readings near the rupture point.
When streets reopened
By 4pm GMT witnesses reported the cordon lifting and fire appliances leaving, although gas engineers stayed to pressure-test the line. West Mercia Police thanked residents for patience and said investigators would examine how the driver lost control, without releasing further details about the vehicle.
Utility teams were expected to board up the damaged rear wall before nightfall, and the local authority said building inspectors would visit on Monday to assess structural cracks visible from the alley.
What comes next for the street
Insurance assessors typically take 48 hours to schedule visits after gas-fed fires or leaks, and brokers in Shrewsbury said alternative accommodation costs would hinge on whether the property remains condemned. For now, families cleared to return were told to ventilate kitchens and check pilot lights before using boilers.
Police asked anyone with dashcam footage from Hereford Road between 1:15pm and 2pm to upload clips through the force portal, citing the narrow window when the car left the carriageway. The statement gave no indication that the road would stay closed beyond Saturday evening once engineers signed the supply back on.
Council duty officers said mobile generators would be available if any households lost heating overnight, though network operators reported stable pressure across the rest of the street once the fractured section was bypassed.