Father and daughter pulled from rubble after gas explosion destroys home

A father and daughter have been pulled from debris after a suspected gas explosion reduced their home in Shirley in Hampshire to rubble in the early hours of this morning.

Neighbours helped pull the 36 year-old man and a 4 year-old girl from the debris, but both only suffered minor injuries.

Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service's Control room received around a dozen calls reporting a loud explosion on Howards Grove, Shirley, shortly after 1.30am.

Crews from St Mary's and Redbridge arrived to find the two-storey, end-of-terrace property completely collapsed.

The father and daughter were taken to hospital as a precaution but are not thought to have been seriously injured.

The other houses in the terrace were evacuated as a precaution. Engineers from the gas board and Southampton City Council were also called to further investigate the cause of the explosion.