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A lockdown was put in place after a faulty fridge caused a gas explosion which blew out the windows of a property in northeast London.

At about 1.30pm today the emergency services were called to reports of a blast in the Harold Hill area of Romford.

Homes were evacuated and a large part of the area was closed off by the emergency services.

In footage shot by a bystander, firefighters can be seen trying to access the back of a property in Farnham Road.

Shortly after 3.20pm Collier Row Police tweeted that the incident was a 'domestic gas explosion caused by a faulty fridge'.

(Image: London News Pictures Ltd)

(Image: PA)

(Image: PA) (Image: @Cortez22222/Twitter) (Image: Stephanie Sinkins/Twitter)

The London Ambulance Service were also on the scene in Farnham Road but they were not required to treat any patients.

Motorists and pedestrians were advised to avoid the area as emergency services investigated the cause of the explosion, Essex Live reports.

Shantel Cook, from Romford, told MirrorOnline she believed the explosion had occurred at the back of the Post Office on Farnham Road.

"It was inside or at the back," she said.

"It has blown all the windows out. There are all sorts of rumours at the moment.

"I got phone calls saying there was an explosion as my daughter was in the area.

"Now I am coordinating with other people in the are such as churches to help families who have been evacuated."

(Image: @MichaelRoast/Twitter) (Image: Essex Live WS) (Image: Essex Live WS)

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A spokesman for Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called shortly before 1.30pm on Sunday, 4 March to reports of an explosion at a premises in Farnham Road, Harold Hill.

"Officers, the London Fire Brigade and the London Ambulance Service attended.

"The cause of the explosion has been confirmed as gas related.

"There have been no reported injuries.

"Local residents who were evacuated from their property are now able to return."

(Image: Shantel Louise) (Image: Essex Live/BPM Media) (Image: Shantel Louise)

The London Ambulance Service were called to the scene but a spokesman said they were not required to treat any patients.