A PENSIONER's bungalow exploded when he turned on the toilet light - but incredibly he walked away unscathed.

The blast sent rubble from the front and back walls of 70-year-old Albert Sotheran's bungalow flying, damaging nearby homes and leaving shards of glass embedded in doors.

A spark from the light is thought to have ignited a pocket of gas, but Albert was protected by the bathroom walls.

"I must admit I am very fortunate but I think they will have to pull the rest of house down now," said the former handyman.

"I went in the toilet and put on the light and that was it - a flash and a bang.

"The bathroom is in the middle of the house but I never smelt any gas. I was all right and I'm the only one who didn't panic."

The explosion happened at 8am on Saturday in Lizard Walk, Hartlepool, and was so powerful it smashed neighbouring windows and knocked a gate off its hinges.

Albert calmly got dressed and was fastening his shoes when frantic neighbour Les Gibson ran in wearing only his boxer shorts to look for him, cutting his bare feet on the glass in the process.

"I was in bed when I heard the explosion and rushed downstairs to see what was happening," said Mr Gibson, a 37-year-old cable fitter.

"I knew an elderly man lived there and just thought 'I've got to get him out' without even thinking about it.

"I rushed in and saw him getting dressed and had to pull him out in case it went off again. I think he was in shock because he didn't want to come until he was ready, but I knew it could be dangerous if I didn't help him out straight away."

Neighbour and family friend Joyce Kelly said: "It is a miracle that he wasn't killed. I think Albert must have had someone looking down on him.

"If it had been a weekday, there would been a stream of schoolchildren walking past and someone would have died, so it could have been far worse."

Firefighters were on the scene in minutes and put out a number of small fires in the bungalow while a Transco engineer cut off the gas supply. Hartlepool council workmen stabilised the bungalow to prevent it collapsing.