EXPLOSIONS were heard as a fire took hold at Station Hill Stores newsagent in Station Hill, Farnham, on Saturday night.

Emergency services responded to reports of "a fire and explosion", just metres from Farnham Station and opposite the packed Mulberry pub, at 11.19pm.

Police confirmed "all affected residents", including those living in the flats above the shops, were evacuated and no injuries have been reported.

A large crowd gathered to watch firefighters tackle the blaze and videos shared by onlookers showed large flames bursting out of the shop front.

Explosions, believed to be caused by gas canisters, could also be heard coming from inside the store.

Police closed local roads but the station remained open and accessible via diversions.

Six fire appliances and 44 firefighters from Surrey and Hampshire attended. South East Coast Ambulance Service and a Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) also attended.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service posted a series of updates to Twitter on Saturday, ending with confirmation shortly after 2.30am that: "The incident is now being scaled down and some of the fire crews are leaving the scene - Fire investigation officers and @SurreyPolice remain on scene - Road closures remain in force."