AN EXPLOSION closed part of Chester city yesterday.

A 45-year-old woman suffered a minor burn to her leg as a result of the incident on Foregate Street.

Police cleared shoppers away from the area just after midday yesterday following reports of a minor explosion.

A police spokesman confirmed the explosion had taken place in the area of M&S and Paperchase and had scorched the pavement.

Officers cleared people away from the scene as a precaution, with the cordon later extended along Frodsham Street due to the length and direction of the cable.

Eyewitness Terri Hayes, 19, a student, said: “I heard the explosion, it was quite loud. I was trying to get to the Card Shop as quickly as possible but then we were all told to get back behind the lines. I had tried to go into the Disney store, but then we were all evacuated from there as well.”

Thomas Scott, a city centre cleaner, said this was not the first time an underground cable had developed a fault.

Mr Scott, of Blacon, said: “This is the second time today this has happened – the first time the underground cable went was at about 5.30am and I had to clean that mess on the pavement up myself.

“This incident should have been seen to earlier, if there was another explosion earlier today.”

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene.

Scottish Power confirmed that a fuse had blown in a cable underground. A company spokesman said: “The lady had no visible injury and experienced a tingling in her legs as she passed over the pavement where the fuse had blown. We have a team repairing the cable and we would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.”

The city centre was re-opened from 4pm yesterday.