AN INVESTIGATION is under way into whether an explosion at a village cafe was caused by gas cylinders the owner was ordered to remove last month.

Gemma’s Cafe, in East Challow, near Wantage, was wrecked in the Sunday evening blast. Bricks, glass and pieces of roof were blown more than 100 metres.

Incident commander Paul Waknell said last night it was extremely lucky no one was injured.

Mr Waknell said the fire service was still trying to establish what had caused the blast at Canal Way, although a gas leak was suspected.

He said: “It appears gas has built up in the building, it has been ignited by an unknown source and the ensuing blast has blown windows and doors out, and most of the roof which is hanging in trees. The cafe has been completely destroyed by the blast.”

Police and 20 firefighters attended the incident.

Neighbours Charlotte Falkenau and Adrian Welch had to spend the night at a relative’s house after they were evacuated.

The blast dented the side of the couple’s car and covered their drive in debris.

They said a row of tall trees between their house and the cafe had shielded them from the worst of the blast.

Miss Falkenau, 36, said: “We were sitting watching TV when there was this massive explosion. It was like a bomb going off.

“If our trees had not been there I do not think we would be here. It is very lucky no one was hurt.”

Fire investigators were last night looking into whether gas cylinders outside the cafe caused the explosion.

Vale of White Horse District Council said it had ordered the cafe owner to remove two gas cylinders.

The council’s food and safety manager, Diane Moore, said: “Following a complaint, a council officer visited Gemma’s Cafe on October 21 and told the owner to immediately remove the gas cylinders on the site.

“This was followed up by a formal warning letter last week.”

Planning officers also visited the cafe and told the owner to apply for a change of use.

John Putt, who owns the building where the explosion happened, said the site had been devastated.

He said: “What is extraordinary is that no one was hurt, in particular the next-door neighbours.

“It was a very large explosion, and had it gone off at 8am in the morning the consequences could have been dire.”

Mr Putt said the cafe owner, Gemma Casey, had gone on holiday to Barbados at the weekend.

She had only started the business a few months ago.