Shopping centre reopens after gas leak evacuation
BBCA shopping centre has reopened after it had to be evacuated following a gas leak.
People were led away out of the Strand in Bootle after an HGV struck a gas mains pipe on a service road underneath the shopping centre on Stanley Road at about 12:00 BST, said Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS).
Cadent Gas said the leak had been stopped and engineers were working to repair the damage, which was expected to be completed by the end of the day.
The shopping centre's bus station, which also closed as a precaution, has now reopened too.
MFRS, which sent two fire engines to the scene, said it had been called at about 12:10 BST.
Cadent's North West customer operations area manager Dale Martin said: "Our engineering teams, alongside the emergency services, are currently responding to third-party damage to a gas pipe outside of the Strand Shopping Centre in Bootle.
"The gas leak has been stopped and our engineers are repairing the damage.
"We anticipate all work to be completed by the end of today."
Engineers and MFRS also completed routine safety checks to the surrounding commercial and residential properties.
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