FIREFIGHTERS were called to Wimborne this evening after a gas main caught alight.

One crew from the town were called at 4.42pm to reports of a small fire in a gas main up an unmade track at Giddylake, and gas engineers were also called to the scene.

The blaze was quickly brought under control but fire service personnel, who were later relieved by another crew from Poole, have remained at the scene for several hours as a precaution.

Dorset Police have put in place a cordon for 100m around the leak and evacuated several nearby properties while engineers work to repair the pipe.

James Higgins, a spokesman for gas distribution company SGN, said: "This afternoon, our gas mains in Giddylake, Wimborne, were damaged by a third-party working in the area.

"We quickly attended the site in our capacity as the gas emergency service provider in the south of England.

"Some residents had been evacuated by the emergency services prior to our arrival.

"We currently have a team on site and the situation is under control.

"We are assessing the extent of the damage with a view to carrying out a repair as quickly and safely as possible.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience this incident may have caused and we thank everyone for their patience while we work to repair our damaged main.”

A Red Cross team are also at the scene of the incident to look after the residents.