A PETROL station has been forced to shut after a gas leak yesterday afternoon.

Firefighters were called to the Co-operative Petrol Station on Wellworthy Road in Lymington after a gas leak was found.

The incident saw a 100 metre exclusion zone imposed as three crews, accompanied by a specialist liquefied petroleum gas company, dealt with the leak.

Crews were sent at 4.48pm when the leak was discovered between the tank and the dispenser. The tank was isolated and 50 litres of the LPG was vented into the air using large fans.

No one was injured in the incident and no members of the public were at risk while the gas was dispersed, a fire service spokesperson said.

The stop message was issued at 7.18pm.

Wellworthy Road is the main road into Lymington Hospital and a number of businesses use the road to access Ampress Business Park.

A spokesperson for the Co-op said: “The safety of customers and colleagues is our number one priority, which is why we have temporarily closed the store. We will re-open as soon as it is safe to do so, and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”