LIVERPOOL city centre shops are counting the cost after a gas leak forced evacuations from their premises earlier this week.

Hundreds of people were moved from the area around the former Lewis’s department store amid fears of a huge gas explosion caused by a ruptured pipe.

Merseyrail’s busiest station, Liverpool Central, was also closed throughout the incident on Thursday afternoon.

Initial inquiries are now under way into the gas escape by the Health and Safety Executive.

It is thought the gas pipe was damaged by building rubble falling from a chute used by sub-contractors working on top of the famous Lewis’s building, at the corner of Renshaw Street and Ranelagh Street.

The normally bustling area resembled a ghost town, as a strict safety cordon was put up within a 200m radius of the store.

Shops were forced to evacuate and lose half a day’s trading.

Today, some complained about a lack of information about who was responsible and who they should approach to make a claim for loss of trade.

Karen Johnson, who owns The Cake Shop, at Liverpool Central station concourse, estimated the disruption cost her business around £1,000.

She said: “We have had all the people who ordered cakes and could not pick them up coming in and wanting their money back.

“These are tough times and people cannot afford to pay for cakes they cannot get hold of.

“I had to pay six girls who were hanging around to see whether the shop could re-open.”