Commuters faced a traffic nightmare last night after a busy junction was partially sealed off because of a major gas leak caused a risk of explosion.

Engineers from Transco had been working all week to rectify the leak at the junction of King's Road, Queen's Road and Springwood Terrace near Canal Road, Bradford.

But at 2.15pm yesterday Adam Stephenson, network operations manager for Transco, advised police to shut the junction because of the risk, causing long delays for thousands of rush-hour motorists in Canal Road and Manningham Lane.

Eccleshill traffic police said the delays lasted until after 7pm with one officer describing the situation as a 'nightmare'.

Mr Stephenson said: "There had been an escape of gas for a few days and we started work on it this week.

"As we were excavating round it something happened, the gas escaped a lot more. It got to the point where there was no risk to life or property but we were concerned that traffic turning left and right would be only feet away from the escaping gas.

"There was a concern that motorists, with their windows wound down, might discard cigarettes into it or use their mobile phones.

"So we decided to close the road for safety even though it would mean inconvenience; it was my decision."

PC Carl Richmond of Eccleshill Road Traffic Department said last night: "There was a major gas leak and we had to close the whole area because of the danger of fire and explosion.

"We were advised to do so by Transco and implemented the closure for public safety.

"One of the biggest concerns was that people smoking cigarettes might throw them out of the window where we could have had a problem. "

Nine Baildon residents had their electricity supply cut off last night after workmen trying to mend a cable fault in Otley Road accidentally cut through a Yorkshire Water service pipe. The supply was restored at 4.30 this morning.