A LIFE-threatening explosion was narrowly avoided on Wednesday afternoon when a van carrying a gas canister caught fire just yards from petrol pumps at Somerfield supermarket, in Minehead.

Dozens of shoppers were around when a blaze broke out in the transit van parked on the corner of Stephenson Road.

A crew of five firefighters from Minehead arrived the scene and managed to bring the situation under control in 15 minutes.

It is thought the blaze was started by the van's faulty internal battery.

In the panic, staff in the petrol station tried to switch the petrol pumps off but accidentally activated a panic alarm and police officers from the Minehead station were deployed to the store.

One eyewitness said he first thought it was bonfire because there was a bush between himself and the blazing van.

As he got closer, he could see flames leaping out of the back of the vehicle and he said it was very much alight.

Another woman spoke of her anger at Somerfield's apparently slapdash attitude towards the fire that could have resulted in a devastating explosion.

Maureen Donoghue said: "Eventually, the building was evacuated, but no fire alarm had gone off. No-one was directing anything in the car park, and people were standing around to see what was going on.

"The van had gas cylinders and could have exploded at any moment - and cars that were leaving the car park had to go past it."

Mrs Donoghue said she spoke to staff at Somerfield, but was only asked why she had not taken steps to move people herself.

She told the Free Press that she did point out the danger to the people: "So then I was told, if people wouldn't listen to you, why should they listen to us?

"I was making a serious complaint but I didn't make it aggressively. But he took the position that it was not their responsibility and he was quite aggressive about it.

"When I said that, if the van had gone up lots of people would have sued Somerfield, all I got was 'don't be so ridiculous'.

"Their whole attitude was, we did the right thing. If this is how they handle fires, with no alarm and no-one taking responsibility, then it's worrying to say the least."

A spokesman for Somerfield said the fire was not connected with the store: "The van was parked in a side road with a gas canister on the back.

"Our coffee shop is nearby with a large window so we evacuated the shop and telephoned the fire brigade

"The fire brigade arrived very swiftly and told us that we had taken the right precautions and acted very swiftly.

"We were commended by the fire officers for the way in which we cleared the area," she said.