Residents of a Havant street were still in shock this morning following the untimely near demise of local self-employed gas fitter, Everton Cleverly.
Mr Cleverly had been called out to a semi detached residence in Abbey Road to attend a suspected gas leak, by homeowner, Mrs Cindy Birdsong, and was rummaging about under the stairs looking for signs of a leak, when BANG! He inadvertently touched a cold water pipe and was blown out of the cupboard into the hallway by the force of the shock.
Distressed by the sudden, shocking turn of events, Mrs Birdsong ran out into the street screaming and waving her arms about in the air, straight into the path of an oncoming electric milk float. Fortunately, the milkman, Ernie Hill, was able to pull up in time leaving Mrs Birdsong with nothing more traumatic than a bump to the bottom.
Before he himself was rear ended by a number 19 bus, on which a passenger wearing a hoody and a baseball cap who was just about to disembark found himself on the verge of losing his balance.
Hampshire rescue services responded promptly, sending seven fire engines, three ambulances, eleven police cars and a helicopter to the scene, but gas fitter, Mr Cleverly escaped with a blistered thumb.
Further investigations by a Home Office forensics team revealed that a cowboy electrician had probably connected a water pipe to the mains in the mistaken belief that he was earthing a circuit.
All told, one hundred and eighty seven members of the emergency services were involved in the incident, including a cadaver sniffing dog flown in specially from Mexico City.
It's a good job the local government cutbacks haven't really kicked in yet, or it could have been total carnage in Havant today.
More as we get it.
