A TANKER which crashed with 19,000 litres of highly explosive gas on board caused chaos in and around Swindon.

No one was seriously injured in the three-vehicle accident on the A419 at Blunsdon Hill just before lunchtime yesterday, but some propane gas escaped from the lorry after it turned over on to its side.

Seven fire engines rushed to the scene and firefighters, fearing a major explosion, ordered the road closed both ways between Cricklade and the Turnpike roundabout at Groundwell.

Nine people were evacuated from nearby houses, and workers at local firms told to stay behind closed doors to protect themselves from any explosion.

The emergency also led to an estimated 15 miles of queues between Swindon and Cirencester, while traffic diverted through Cricklade also gridlocked that town.

The diverted drivers brought both joy and pain to businesses as they clogged up the High Street for several hours.

"It's been bloody awful," said the manager of Baileys Newsagents, Pam Andrews.

"There have been big lorries carrying trees, furniture lorries, the whole lot."

But the accident brought an unexpected bonus for some traders, including the Cricklade Cafe, which was packed with stranded motorists yesterday afternoon.

At the Chapel Farm landfill site, which overlooks the crash scene, a police helicopter pilot dropped in to tell staff to shut the gates and not let any rubbish lorries in or out.

"It's like a day off for us," said one employee. "We've been sitting with our feet up all day because we just can't do anything."

The crash also stopped Swindon's dustmen delivering the day's 50 tonnes of household waste to Chapel Farm, meaning some waste collections this morning may be delayed while the lorries are taken to Blunsdon to be emptied.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the crash, which also involved a Ford Transit pick-up van and a Citroen Xantia, to call them on 01793 528111.

The collision was the latest of several on the notoriously dangerous A419 in the last year.

Trainee teacher Adrian Harvey, 29, from Moredon, died in a three-car crash last month, as he drove from Stroud to Cirencester in a Lotus Elise.

One person was also seriously injured in another three-vehicle accident last month that closed the road for more than two hours.