Police in Leicester have declared a major incident following reports of an explosion which has strewn debris across both carriageways of a road.

Leicestershire fire and rescue sent six fire engines to Hinckley Road after reports came in about the explosion at around 7pm on Sunday (25 February).

One person who lived on the street told the Leicester Mercury that the explosion was "massive".

"We went to look out of the upstairs windows and saw loads of smoke, and then a few seconds later massive orange flames," the witness said.

The paper reported that the blast is believed to have ripped through a convenience store which has a flat above it in the building between the shops TJ and Morgans Bar. No information has yet been received about injuries, if any.

The Mercury said that there was a large crowd at the cordon at Westcotes Drive end of Hinckley Road.

"The fire service is still directing water onto the scene of the explosion, and there are large clouds of steam or smoke or both coming off it," the paper reported.

A Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said, according to the BBC: "This is a search and rescue at the moment. It is unknown if people are injured or trapped."

The property was a two-floor building with a loft conversion that had suffered a "pancake collapse", she said.

Alpana Marwaha, told the BBC: "I heard a bang and the house shook. We could see the flames.

"You can still see the smoke coming, and the emergency services. There are few shops there and it is surrounded by houses," she added.