A GAS cylinder exploded on a Braithwaite allotment this afternoon after a pile of rubbish was set on fire.

The LPG canister heated up inside the pile and burst spectacularly into pieces at the allotment of North Dean Road.

Firefighters were on their way to tackle the blaze when they were alerted to the explosion. They later searched the surroundings for the canister but could only find one piece of it.

A spokesman for Keighley Fire Station warned that gas cylinders, even when thought to be ‘used up’, were not safe to leave out in such a way.

She added: “It can be lethal if people are walking past while the rubbish is on fire.”