Spray can 'led to Gravesend house explosion'

An explosion in a mid-terraced house in Kent is thought to have been caused by a can of spray adhesive under a kitchen sink, Kent fire service has said.

The explosion blew out the ground floor double-glazed windows and caused extensive damage to the rest of the house in Gravesend on Thursday night.

It is thought the can leaked and filled the house with vapour which ignited when the gas cooker was turned on.

People have been urged to store flammable liquids carefully.

Strood fire station manager Liam Hudson said: "Although incidents of this nature are very unusual we would always urge people to read and follow the safety instructions on the packaging."

He said flammable liquids could give off large volumes of vapours at room temperature which, when mixed with air, could ignite, often violently.

The resident of the house, a man in his 40s, was uninjured in the explosion at about 1910 BST in Kilndown on the Hever Farm Estate, but ambulance crews treated him for shock.

Fire crews isolated gas and electricity supplies at the property and put out a small fire.