THE explosion could be heard for miles around, it shattered windows and sprayed debris across the road, yet what was more striking was the eerie silence that followed.

For a few seconds, all that could be heard was the tinkle of broken glass and the wail of burglar alarms triggered by the shockwave. There were no cries for help, no shouts of surprise.

Wolsingham is a popular destination for tourists visiting the Durham dales. On a normal bank holiday Sunday, it would be bustling with shoppers and traffic.

Yesterday, there was no traffic in the town centre, no families window shopping and no children noisily eating ice-creams. Anyone who made the trip found their way blocked by a police cordon.

Teams of detectives working on the scene were yesterday still sifting through the mangled wreckage of the red Ford Transit for clues to why gas canisters exploded, killing the driver instantly.

Numbered wheelie bins contain parts of the van already removed from the scene. At the other side of the market square, battered red panels from the van are piled up and numbered.

But looking at the terrible aftermath, it is obvious the explosion could have been much worse.

Walking the scene yesterday, Sergeant Graham Charman said the consequences would have been unimaginable had the explosion happened only three hours later, when the street was busy with Saturday shoppers and visitors.

Although the blast tore the van apart, at least one of the gas canisters survived intact. After the explosion, the metal cylinder was red hot and dangerously unstable. The canister had to be doused with cold water by firefighters for 24 hours before it could be removed safely.

Sgt Charman said: "If that had gone up, it would have been an additional explosion and one identical to what had already occurred."

The ferocity of the blast has caused serious damage to buildings around the idyllic market place.

Wolsingham resident and local shop-owner Geoffrey Wearmouth said: "I lost a window at the back of the shop and all the upper windows were blown out at the back of the doctor's surgery. The damage is more extensive than it first appeared."

One shop front, close to where the van exploded, has been ripped apart, and as debris from the explosion was sent flying in all directions, a twisted panel became lodged in the wooden facade.

Broken glass from smashed windows of nearby buildings lies scattered across the pavement, while dozens of tiles have been blown from the rooftops, with some falling to the road.

A short way from the site of the explosion, a large charred patch remains on the road at the point where the burning van came to rest.

John Harrison, secretary of Wolsingham Baptist Church, which had most of its windows blown out in the blast, said: "We were due to have a service, but because of the damage, we held it at Hamsterley Baptist Church.

"On behalf of the Church, I send my condolences to the family and friends of the victim and we will pray for them all.

"We are planning on holding services as soon as possible but we have no details yet.