Hundreds of people were affected following the incident that saw shops, restaurants and a cinema evacuated and drivers facing lengthy delays.

Emergency services imposed a 500-metre safety zone around the scene of the leak, which was described by Scotland Gas Networks as a "serious incident".

The A737 was closed last night while emergency services dealt with the incident at the Phoenix Retail Park in Linwood, Renfrewshire.

It is understood contractors operating a digger ruptured a gas main in Linwood Road around 5pm last night.

A police spokeswoman said there was no immediate threat to safety at the retail park, which has a Showcase Cinema, Asda supermarket and several restaurants, but that affected roads would remain closed until lunchtime.

All businesses were closed last night, along with several car dealerships and garages. No domestic properties were affected.

The A737 westbound offslip to the A761 Linwood road was also closed with diversions in place.

Scotland Gas Networks, the company who maintain gas services, said no one was hurt in the incident and domestic gas services remained operating as normal.

Spokesman Denis Kerby said: "This was a serious incident, and a full investigation will be needed to establish how contractors could hit the pipe."

No one was injured.