AN EXPLOSION in a St Albans street caused homes to be evacuated, roads to be closed and traffic chaos in the city on Saturday. The blast, which police are now describing as a chemical reaction happened in a steel bin, Police were alerted at around 11.4

AN EXPLOSION in a St Albans street caused homes to be evacuated, roads to be closed and traffic chaos in the city on Saturday.

The blast, which police are now describing as a "chemical reaction" happened in a steel bin,

Police were alerted at around 11.45am after the bin exploded at the back of a house in Lattimore Road.

An army disposal squad was called out in case there were further devices but no others were found. Police said it was unclear what caused the explosion but it might have been caused by a number of chemicals put in the bin which reacted to each other.

A police spokesperson said no-one was injured but the contents of the bin were being examined as part of an investigation to determine the exact cause.

Victoria Street and the surrounding streets were re-opened to traffic and pedestrians around 6pm.