KINSALE town centre was evacuated on Wednesday morning after a gas leak from a delivery truck raised serious safety concerns.

The alarm was raised at around 9.40am when locals reported a strong smell of gas in the air, with some eye witnesses saying they could see a plume of gas in the air.

The truck had been delivering to a local Chinese restaurant at Granary Loft in the town.

Gardaí and emergency services, including units from both Kinsale Fire & Rescue and Carrigaline Fire Station, were quickly on the scene and cordoned off the area at the junction of Pearse Street and The Glen.

Residents and businesses were evacuated, while guests at the nearby Blue Haven Hotel were also removed and taken to the Old Bank House.

A Cork County Council spokesperson described it as ‘a potentially dangerous situation’ adding that a water curtain was set up to help isolate the incident and allow the remaining gas in storage to be contained.

‘Once all gas was contained and secure, nearby drainage systems were flushed. Representatives from both Gas Networks Ireland and the gas supplier were on site assisting with the making safe of the area.’

The area was declared safe at around 12 noon and those who were evacuated were allowed back into their homes and premises.

Insp Emmet Daly of Bandon Garda Station said the whole incident lasted about an hour and no injuries were reported.

Speaking to The Southern Star, local Fine Gael councillor and owner of Salvi’s Café on Pearse Street, Marie O’Sullivan, said it all appeared to have happened very quickly as the truck was delivering gas to the restaurant.

‘I had actually come through town at around 9am and there were no issues. Emergency services were quickly on the scene and the evacuations from homes and businesses began rapidly,’ she said.

‘Personnel from the gas company along with council staff and the fire crews were all working together to resolve the issue. I want to thank all those who responded to this emergency in a fast and efficient manner. I also want to thank the local businesses too who co-operated with the emergency services and also turned off their gas at their premises.’

Another business owner in The Glen area said she was told to evacuate her business and described the smell of gas as ‘horrible’.

Kinsale Fire & Rescue posted online that both sides of The Glen had been blocked off and described the situation as ‘very dangerous’ advising members of the public to stay well clear of the area.

They later thanked all residents and members of the public for making their job easier, as well as gardaí who were first on the scene to evacuate people.