A burst gas main in an Erith Industrial estate saw the evacuation of hundreds of employees - in the midst of the chaos, four men were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

Fire crews, police and London Ambulance Service (LAS) paramedics were called to Church Manorway just after 9.30am yesterday (November 19).

A 200-metre hazard zone was put in place by fire crews as 200 people were evacuated from nearby businesses.

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Police interrogate man suspected of immigration offences (c.) @DannyBoomHead

TOP STORIES: Gas supplier South Gas Network (SGN) has confirmed that the high pressure main was repaired after engineers worked through the night but part of the road remains closed whilst further work is carried out.

The cause of the rupture to the mains gas supply is not yet known.

Katie Lobban, of SGN said: "Our work has progressed well and our repair has been made.

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience while our repair was carried out."

St John’s church in West Street opened its doors, offering evacuees with shelter, hot teas and coffee.

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Workers on the industrial estate sought refuge at St John's church (c.) St. John's

Luke Potgieter, 23, from Brook Street said: "It was fantastic to see that the community could pull together working as one to help each other and it was a wonderful thing to provide for the community in such a time of need."

During the "gas emergency," four men were arrested in a separate incident after they were allegedly seen jumping off a lorry in the cordoned off gas exclusion zone.

They were arrested on suspicion of immigration offences.

A spokesman for the Met said: "Police patrolling Church Manorway, Erith, detained four men after they were seen by members of the public allegedly jumping out of a back of a lorry.

"They are currently in custody at a south London police station.

"Enquiries continue."

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Emergency services were at the scene to cordon off the area (c.) @Pixelform_Film

No residential premises were evacuated and police confirmed that there were no reported injuries.

However, many commuters and drivers faced long queues as traffic jammed, bus routes diverted and some trains running towards Woolwich faced delays and diversions.