A gas explosion on a quiet residential street has killed one person, police confirmed today, and forced emergency services to evacuate several others.
Emergency services evacuated a residential street in Worksop, Nottinghamshire, after they were called to the scene on Saturday evening, just before 8pm. Nottinghamshire Police have sadly confirmed the body of a man, in his 50s, had been found in the wreckage of the house on John Street. Emergency services treated the man at the scene but were unable to save him. Chief Inspector Clive Collings said: “This is an extremely serious incident that has led to a man’s untimely death.
“The man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. I have no doubt that this incident will have come as a shock to the community in Worksop.”
The explosion saw 11 properties and 20 cars damaged in the blast. The damage toll was on top of the house that collapsed and two neighbouring properties which were partially destroyed.
The incident on Saturday evening left a home “partially destroyed” and residents in a panic, with people evacuated from their homes on John Street to a local community centre. Nottinghamshire Police said additional properties were damaged following the explosion, and emergency services discovered the body after spending the day combing through rubble.
People living both nearby and in neighbouring towns reported hearing the explosion in posts on social media, with one user saying they heard a “huge” bang, and another adding their windows shook in the shockwave.
Images circulated on social media appear to show a destroyed terraced house, with its entire length appearing wrecked and bricks covering part of the street in front in a video of the scene shared on Facebook.
One local, Penny Marriott, said she knew the man who lived in the house, adding the explosion blew a mirror in her living room “straight off” as she was eating her tea. She said: “I’ve never heard anything like it in my life. I’ve got a mirror on my living room wall and it blew that straight off. I was just eating my tea, it put me off my tea, I couldn’t finish it then.”
“I know the lad who lived there. It’s terrible, I thought the top flat fell through into my bedroom. The whole house shook, the dog is in a right state, he’s not moved yet. It was horrendous.” One man told how he raced to the scene after hearing a “big boom” and a man claiming to live in the home said there was one person inside.
They sent emergency teams to the area and they detected gas, she added, they informed her it would be “dealt with soon” three days before the explosion.
The woman said on Saturday night: “This was the street right outside my home. There are marks all over the pavement because I reported smelling gas. An emergency team came and detected gas and said it would be dealt with soon. That was three days ago.”
CI Collings said police are doing “everything” to support residents and that officers are “working at pace” with firefighters to determine what caused the incident. He added that an increased police presence in the area will continue and thanked residents for their patience.
Police said in a statement: “A police cordon and road closures will remain in place overnight following an explosion in Worksop. Emergency services were called to John Street at 7.39pm on April 12 after an explosion inside a house and a major incident was declared
“A large number of people who were evacuated from properties in the area are being supported by Bassetlaw District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. The local authority has supported those who can to return to their homes.
“Members of the public who have been displaced are being provided with support and emergency accommodation overnight and into tomorrow. Officers are continuing to investigate to establish the cause of the explosion.“Earlier, the body of a man, aged in his 50s, was discovered under debris, following the blast.
“Despite the best efforts of the responding emergency services, he died at the scene. The man’s family have been informed and are being supported by specially trained officers. One other person was taken to hospital with minor injuries and has since been discharged.
“The terraced home was destroyed by the explosion and two neighbouring properties have partially collapsed. Eight other properties and 20 cars were damaged by debris in the blast. Everyone else who may have been in the area at the time has since been accounted for.”
Anyone with additional information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 612 of 12 April 2025.
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