A man and his four-year-old daughter were rescued from their Southampton home after a suspected gas explosion this morning.

The blast occurred at around 1.30am and completely destroyed the house, leaving the father buried in a pile of rubble. He was pulled free by Stephen Kelsey, who was working locally, with the assistance of neighbours and Mr Kelsey’s colleagues.

He was then taken to Southampton General Hospital with his daughter and was treated for non-life-threatening injuries. Both have since been discharged.

Next-door neighbour Kevin Crook described the impact of the explosion to the BBC.

"I was fast asleep in bed; then there was a massive bang and I couldn't believe what I saw," he said. "I saw brick rubble all over the conservatory; the doors were all blown off; the TV was on its face. Everything just crashed."

He continued: "I was concerned for next door but, to be honest, I didn't think they would have made it - but they have. It's unbelievable."

Four more houses were evacuated, while several other properties had their windows blown out by the blast. An exclusion zone is now in effect while engineers from Southern Gas Networks and Southampton City Council investigate the cause of the explosion.