AN INVESTIGATION has been launched into why a gas mains burst into flames in front of a builder, almost killing a builder.

Ronald Jones’ jackhammer hit a gas pipe which immediately exploded in his face.

Seven houses, 11 people and a dog had to be evacuated from the homes surrounding the house he was working on in Singleton Way, Totton, while firefighters dealt with the fireball.

Now ES Pipelines, the company which manages the gas network, has launched an investigation into the explosion.

Owner of the house Jason Robinson, 49, was having his driveway extended to make room for his 17 year old daughter’s car when Mr Jones hit the pipe.

After moving into the house in 2004, he and his wife Rosalind had already removed a flowerbed from the same spot and installed a driveway.

The company director said: “We put down some turf and that was just myself doing that job – but my wife does a lot of gardening and she’s the one that likes to mow the lawn, so it could have been her.”

“I feel relieved that no one has been hurt at the end of the day.”

Nick Cremin, who along with Ronald Jones had been commissioned to do the work on the drive by the Robinson family, said: “The jackhammer pierced the gas pipe and because it was so high the next time it’s gone in, it sparked it.

“Usually you would dig down six inches then find a warning tape and the pipe would then be buried in sand.

“There was no warning to say the gas pipe was there. Anyone with a prong could have gone through it – it used to be a flower bed.”

Guidelines from the Health and Safety Executive and the Institution of Gas Engineers state that a gas main should normally be laid with a minimum depth of 750mm in a road or verge and 600mm in a footpath.

They add that a gas service pipe should normally be laid with a minimum depth of 375mm in private ground and 450mm in footpaths and highways.

“However, these depths are only a guide and should not be relied on when carrying out work near gas services or mains,” the guidelines state.

“For example, road levelling, landscaping and other changes to ground conditions after a gas main or service has been laid (often decades before) can result in the depth of the ground cover changing over time. Also, gas pipes may have projections coming from them, such as valves, which are not shown on plans and may have less depth of cover than the pipe.”

It is understood that the houses were built in 1999 by McAlpine.