Dudley town centre rocked by blast

A violent explosion caused chaos in a Black Country town centre today when a manhole cover was hurled through the air, smashing two shop windows.

The incident led to the closure of part of a busy shopping street.

Two workers were treated for shock after the underground explosion in Dudley.

Dozens of workers turned up to find a 300-yard section of the High Street between Stone Street and Stafford Street, cordoned off by police.

An electrical fault in an underground sub-station caused the blast which blew off a manhole cover outside WH Smith, smashing two of the shop's windows.

Witnesses reported seeing flames leap from the manhole with plumes of smoke filling the area at about 7.30am today.

The road closure caused long queues of traffic which stretched along Stafford Street, The Inhedge and Vicar Street, while delays were also caused on the Dudley Southern By-Pass.

Police said the High Street was expected to remain shut until this evening. Workers turning up this morning were left waiting outside the cordon. Some firms were transferring staff to other branches in the Black Country as they expected to be shut all day.

Jane Walsh, aged 35, who was walking down the High Street when the explosion happened said: "I was looking the other way but I heard this huge bang and breaking glass.

"I turned round and saw these flames coming out of the manhole.

"It looked like the manhole cover had broken the windows. It was really scary."

Two people were treated by West Midlands Ambulance Service for shock at the scene.

Investigations were being carried out this morning into the electrical supply for the rest of the High Street to make sure it is safe.

Santander bank worker Mark Terry said: "It's quite a shock to turn up for work and see all this going on.

"It will affect our business as we have a good flow of customers coming in during the run up to Christmas either getting cash out or looking for advice."

Some shoppers feared a bomb had caused the blast when they saw emergency services carrying out investigations underground.

One message from Stu on the social networking Twitter reported "absolute chaos" in the town.