A WOMAN who filled her house with gas told police she was going to strike a match to blow it up.

She said she had turned on the gas rings of her cooker four hours earlier and intended to cause an explosion.

Fearing she would carry out her threat, officers began to evacuate people.

The drama started at 3pm on Wednesday when officers received a call to Wylam Street, in Craghead, Stanley, County Durham.

Acting Inspector Martin Willis said: “If the house had filled with gas and exploded, it could have been dangerous indeed.

“Following the report, emergency services attended and, after an initial assessment, felt it was necessary to evacuate the street for the safety of all residents.”

Police evacuated Wylam Street, Railway Street and Fawcett Terrace.

Residents were told to gather in the car park of the Punchbowl public house, prompting the landlord to open up.

Transco staff used gas detection equipment and confirmed a build-up of gas.

However, the amount of gas they detected was not sufficiently high to prevent firefighters from entering the house.

After they made the property safe, gas engineers carried out a full inspection of the property and, after just over an hour, residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Acting Insp Willis said: “The evacuation went very smoothly and I would like to thank all of the residents for their understanding, co-operation and patience.

“I would also like to offer our thanks to landlord at the Punch Bowl, who kindly opened his doors to accommodate those who had to be removed from their homes.

“Transco arrived very quickly and, working with the fire service, they were able to make the house safe so that people could return to their homes after only the minimum of disruption.”

A 26-year-old woman was treated for an arm injury and later arrested and was last night being questioned at Consett police station.