Suspected gas leak in Liverpool city centre

Image caption, Police have told people to avoid Water Street, James Street and The Strand

A number of roads were closed and a building evacuated in Liverpool city centre as emergency services dealt with a suspected gas leak.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service sent two appliances to the scene to deal with a ruptured pipe on Water Street, around India Buildings.

The leak was isolated and capped late in the afternoon and the roads have now reopened.

However, pavements in the area are still closed.

India Buildings was evacuated while engineers dealt with the leak, said a spokesman for gas network Cadent.

A sweep of the building took place to see if there were any other pockets of gas inside.

The fire service said it was alerted at 9:18 BST and arrived five minutes later.