Staff have been allowed to return to two Truro stores after they were evacuated due to fears there would be a gas explosion.

Customers and staff at the Staples and Currys stores in Morlaix Avenue were evacuated this morning, after concerns that a gas main may have been damaged.

The A390 has been closed at the bottom of the hill in Morlaix Avenue, by the roundabout with Tesco, causing traffic chaos in the city.

It followed a phone call to police at 11am, from a worried shopkeeper in the area.

He told police that a retaining wall at the shop had been damaged and looked as though it may collapse. Underneath the wall is a three-inch gas main.

Police have been urging local people to stay away from the area if possible, to reduce the traffic problems.