A major gas leak brought mayhem to the West End yesterday sparking panic at a nightclub, forcing the emergency evacuation of hotel guests and residents and causing chaos for commuters.
A 100-metre exclusion zone was thrown up around the Strand at 3am with Charing Cross station, the capital’s fifth-busiest hub, and Waterloo East both shut yesterday morning. Knock-on effects caused delays and overcrowding across the transport network.
Crowd-control measures were deployed at London Bridge station and other services diverted to Victoria, Cannon Street and Blackfriars with disruption lasting all day.
Eleven major bus routes were also re-routed, affecting services on both sides of the Thames, as diversions caused snarl-ups on main roads.
The leak was reported about 2am in Craven Street, a terrace of Georgian townhouses to the west of the station complex, London Fire Brigade said.
More than 1,000 revellers at Heaven nightclub, beneath Charing Cross station, described chaotic scenes as they were hurriedly evacuated. Clubgoer Martina Aquila, 19, said: “They said something about gas and ordered everyone out. It was calm but we were scared... we thought it might be a terror incident. There were a lot of people in the club, it’s a big meeting point on Monday nights.”
Around 250 guests at the four-star Amba hotel were led outside as alternative rooms were found. Brad Cannon, 49, a businessman from Boston, said: “We were walked to Trafalgar Square and stood there for half an hour, it was cold and miserable. At least I managed to get dressed – some people were in their pyjamas.”
Businessman Per Jonsson from Sweden said: “The alarm went off in the middle of the night. It just kept going, so I got dressed and left. We were taken to Trafalgar Square where they made sure we were all there. A lot of people were in their pyjamas.”
Some 350 residents in Craven Street were ordered to leave, with Westminster council setting up an emergency refuge at a nearby sports centre before moving those still stranded to a hotel.
Lawyer Rebecca Major, 39, was woken by police at her flat yards away from the source of the leak. She said: “At first I did not climb out of bed. Then they came round again knocking so I got up at about 3am. We didn’t know what was going on until we got on the street and was hit by that strong, unmistakeable gas smell.
The closure of Charing Cross — used by about 42mn passengers a year — caused further disruption throughout the South-East down to the Kent and Sussex coasts. Trains were also unable to use Waterloo East station as Charing Cross was shut.
Gas distribution company Cadent said it identified the source of the leak at the corner of Craven Street and Corner House Street at 9am.




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