London: Explosion at Oxfordshire recycling plant after lightning strike

A lightning strike has caused a huge gas explosion at a food waste recycling plant in Oxfordshire.

Witnesses reported seeing a fireball light up the night sky after the blast at the Severn Trent Green Power Plant at Cassington, north of Oxford.

The company said the strike caused one of its biogas tanks to explode at about 19:20 BST.

It said nobody had been injured and staff were working with emergency services to secure the site.

Six fire engines, 40 firefighters, police and at least four ambulances have been deployed to the plant, which processes food waste turning into biogas.

South Central Ambulance Service confirmed paramedics were at the scene, but that they were there on standby to assist police and the fire service.

“There are no reports of any casualties at this time,” a spokesperson for the ambulance service said.

Oxfordshire County Council said fire crews were using an aerial appliance and water tank as they fought the flames.

Jack Frowde, 34, who works at Oxford University, said: “I was sitting in my kitchen when the whole room lit up with a brilliant white light, then followed by a huge crack which sounded like really heavy thunder.

“I looked out of the kitchen window and it was as if the sky was pulsating orange.

“I ran to the back to capture the orange glow as it faded after about 20 seconds.”

Stuart Hosking, a business owner from Oxford, said: “We were pretty close. I thought it was the sun setting, until I saw the flickering and smoke.

“The lights flickered in the house then a flash, then a rumble like thunder, but a single bang.”

In a statement, Thames Valley Police said: “It is believed that lightning struck gas containers at the site during bad weather this evening, causing a large fire.”

The force said the A40 had earlier been closed between Wolvercote and Eynsham as a result of the incident. The road has since reopened.

“To ensure public safety, nearby residents are asked to stay at home, to shut windows and doors and not to attend the scene,” a police spokesperson added.

Residents have reported power outages in Witney, Burford, Chipping Norton and Milton-under-Wychwood.