AN eyewitness has described the moment the earth shook during an explosion at a popular Christmas tree farm.

One man was taken to hospital following the explosion at Leigh Sinton on Saturday morning.

The man suffered burns to his hands and face after an LPG tank in a car he was working on exploded, starting a fire.

The explosion happened in a unit, which is rented out.

His injuries are not serious and no one else was injured.

Yesterday the farm was back in business after Leigh Sinton Road, near Malvern, was reopened to traffic at about 9.30am.

The business is also trading from its second site at Grove Farm, in Rushwick.

Owner Nick Beard said: “The farm is back open and running as normal following the gas explosion. We had to stop trading on Saturday during what is our busiest period. We probably lost between £10,000 to £12,000 in profits but I want to reassure people we are operating as normal.”

West Mercia Police, Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Ambulance Service were called at 11.10am.

Yolande Ball, an employee on the site, said: “It was horrible. It sounded like a plane had come down. Everything just shook, it was so surreal.

“The place had just started to get really busy and it happened so quickly.

“One man was taken to hospital but it could have been catastrophic. Thank God no one was seriously hurt.”

Steve Benson, who owns another unit on the site, was working on a coach when the explosion happened.

He said: “I was inside the coach working and all of a sudden there was an almighty explosion.

“I saw the walls blow out of the building and debris falling out of the sky.

“There was one man working in that unit – I panicked and ran over and shouted for him but he’d managed to go out the back.”

Malvern Gazette and Ledbury Reporter editor John Murphy was buying a Christmas tree with his wife Nicola when the explosion happened. “I was looking in the general direction of the blast anyway and saw debris being thrown hundreds of feet into the air,” he said.

“It was like a scene from a disaster movie.”

A cordon of 200 metres was initially set up around the scene, due to a number of other gas canisters which are kept in the unit, but this was later reduced after it was confirmed the area was safe.

Police Sergeant Mark Ransome-Williams said: “One male was taken to hospital but we don’t believe there are any other casualties.

“All members of the public were evacuated safely.”

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews were called to reports of an incident involving an LPG tank exploding in a car.

“On arrival at the scene crews found a car and a building on fire.

“One man was treated for burns to his hands and face and he was out of the car on crew’s arrival. The man was conveyed by ambulance to hospital for treatment and further assessment.”