Homes were evacuated and a road closed after thieves broke into a Wolverhampton town house, stole copper pipes and caused a serious gas leak.

Tettenhall firefighter Paul Baker warned the consequences of the incident could have been deadly.

It is the latest in an epidemic of metal thefts sweeping the West Midlands, which have seen churches, community buildings and homes stripped, leading to devastating repercussions.

The alarm was raised when elderly neighbours noticed a strong smell coming from the town house in Compton Road, at 11.45 last night.

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Homes were evacuated and a road closed after thieves broke into a Wolverhampton town house, stole copper pipes and caused a serious gas leak.Tettenhall firefighter Paul Baker warned the consequences of the incident could have been deadly.

It is the latest in an epidemic of metal thefts sweeping the West Midlands, which have seen churches, community buildings and homes stripped, leading to devastating repercussions.

The alarm was raised when elderly neighbours noticed a strong smell coming from the town house in Compton Road, at 11.45 last night.

A fire crew from Tettenhall forced entry into the property and the officers then cordoned the street, re-directed traffic and vacated all the neighbouring homes.

Watch commander Mr Baker said: “The house was empty and was split into three separate flats, all of them were unoccupied.

“We broke into the rear of the property and located the leak in the basement where pipes had been taken or stolen. This could have had disastrous consequences.”

Residents living around the house were evacuated and a 200-yard stretch road was closed for an hour while Transco engineer isolated the gas and fire fighters ventilated the house.