A TEENAGER sparked a safety alert after apparently tampering with the valve mechanism on a gas cylinder in the garden of his home in Bournemouth.

The 16-year-old youth contacted the fire brigade and beat a hasty retreat when white flammable gas started to escape from the full cylinder, according to neighbours in West Howe.

Fire officers put an exclusion zone around the junction of Springwater Road and Springwater Crescent, near Heathlands Junior School, for a couple of hours to allow the gas to vent naturally.

Jools O’Rourke, a truck driver who specialises in transporting hazardous goods, was in the next door garden at about 10.15am when the incident began to unfold.

“I was watching him tap the cylinder. I walked away, then I heard this fizzing noise and a slight bang. He swore and disappeared,” he said.

“I think he was trying to take the copper valve off the cylinder. The whole garden filled with white vapour. Someone told him to roll it to the garden and put a carpet over it. It’s fortunate he wasn’t smoking at the time or none of us would be here.”

Incident crew manager Martin Charles attended the scene with a team from Redhill Park, and Poole-based hazardous materials and environmental control officer Angus Nairn. He said the cylinder was of the type used in converting cars to run on LPG. Dorset fire and police officers are carrying out a joint investigation.

Mr Nairn urged: “Don’t tamper with gas containers. There are correct methods of disposal, and you can seek the advice of the local council.”