Explosions rocked a Wolverhampton neighbourhood after a severe fire tore through garden sheds close to where up to 30 butane gas cylinders were being stored.

Homeowner George Gigon said he had been stockpiling the cylinders due to soaring gas prices when sparks from a neighbouring garden fire caused some of them to explode.

Houses were evacuated and police had to divert traffic away from Wobaston Road, in Fordhouses, after the blaze broke out in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The fire service said it was believed a neighbour had been burning rubbish in their garden, which caused a shed to go up in flames in Mr Gigon’s garden before spreading to two others.

Mr Gigon was alerted to a blaze in the back garden by wife Patricia after they had returned from watching The Neil Sedaka Story at the Grand Theatre.

The 64-year-old fittings engineer said: “I went up the garden with a hose pipe and tried to douse it down.

He added: “I’m just so glad nobody was hurt.”

Fire crews from Fallings Park and Wolverhampton battled for more than three hours to bring the blaze under control.