Residents from two Dundee tenements were forced to evacuate their homes when a storm-blown pole caused a gas leak in their block.
The two-storey washing pole was blown over in Strathmartine Road during Tuesday’s storm, striking a gas main and causing the leak.
Police closed the road between Paterson Way and the Five Ways roundabout as tenants made their way out of 105 and 107 Strathmartine Road to safety.
Firefighters and police officers evacuated tenants who reported a ”strong smell of gas” that was still noticeable at a nearby supermarket.
Brian Robertson (32) said: ”I had just got in from work. I work as a builder in Fife and I couldn’t get across the bridge because of the weather so came home.
”I just got a knock at the door from a fireman saying there was a major gas leak outside and we needed to evacuate.
”I sat down at the bus stop because they didn’t know how long it would be. It was really quite a strong smell of gas coming up the close.”
Fellow resident Linzi McGreavey (23) added: ”The family had come up to do some shopping and got evacuated. We came back after we got a call and we had to wait outside.”
Linzi’s husband Paul (31) said: ”We could smell the gas across the road at Tesco.”
Tayside Fire and Rescue attended the incident and one appliance from the Blackness Road station was deployed.
Watch manager Graeme Christie said: ”At the rear of 107 we had a pole come down in the wind. At first we thought it was a telegraph pole, but it was actually a two-storey washing pole.
”It came down and fractured a gas pipe. Gas was leaking out but because it is a windy day it dispersed in the fresh air. As a precaution we evacuated 107 and 105, which was roughly a dozen people from the two tenements.
”The gas board has done a temporary repair and they have requested a digging team to come in and do a more permanent job. When we entered the close there was a very strong smell of gas.
”We put cordons up and shut the road. The gas board and BT were here very quickly.”
Police diverted traffic by Canning Street while the gas board got to work on the damaged main.
A spokesman said: ”Officers attended in Dundee’s Strathmartine Road at about 11.15am today following reports of an incident involving damage to a gas main.
”Along with Tayside Fire and Rescue, Tayside Police assisted in evacuating residents from the immediate vicinity and the road was closed for a short time whilst the matter was resolved by the gas board.”
A spokeswoman for Scotland Gas Networks said: ”Engineers from Scotland Gas Networks are currently on site repairing the damaged pipe. The road has been reopened and the residents have returned to their homes.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman added: ”The council is supporting the emergency services during the operation.”