A YOUNG family were lucky to escape unhurt after an explosion rocked a Chard street this morning.

Jo Farley and Christopher Wey were getting their four young children ready for school in Alun Rees Way when their external heat pump blew up in their back garden at 8.30am.

Neighbours described hearing a loud bang and feeling their houses shake – but no-one was injured.

Jo told the News: “It was a big explosion.

“I was in the bathroom and I opened the window to look outside and all this smoke started pouring in the house.

“The kids were crying hysterically – they were just about to go to school.”

Jo’s mum Anita Crossley said she also heard the explosion from a few streets away and was left wondering what might have happened to her young grandchildren, aged two, three, five and seven.

Anita said: “The children could have been in the garden or the patio doors could have been open.

“I dread to think what could have happened.”

Yarlington housing association provided the Mitsubishi external air source heat pump, which gives the house its hot water, heating and electricity.

Jo added: “We are not very happy about this. We had a letter this week saying it was due to be checked.”

Yarlington Housing Group told the News it had inherited the heat pump when it took over the housing area last year – but had installed more than 100 others and had never had a problem.

A spokesman said the company and Mitsubishi were both sending over engineers immediately to investigate the problem.

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