VIDEO: Manhole explodes just missing mum and children

The footage, which has gone viral on one of our sister JP titles the Northampton Chronicle, was captured by a camera outside a supermarket and filmed the moment an electrical fault caused the explosion in the pavement next to a cashpoint being used by the family.

The force of the blast ripped part of the newsagent’s shop sign down, which narrowly avoided colliding with the head of the young boy.

Emergency services were called out to the incident, near to the junction with Bostock Avenue, shortly after 8am on Tuesday and the mother was treated by the ambulance service. An East Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “An ambulance attended to treat a woman who had been walking in the area with two children when the cover flew into the air, but there were no serious injuries.”

A spokesman for Northamptonshire Fire Service said the cause of the explosion was an electrical fault in an underground box.

Amanda Sekayena, who runs Ama Seka - which is next door to the supermarket where the manhole exploded - said she was glad that nobody was hurt in the incident but wanted the pavement to be fixed as soon as possible.

She said: “It is really affecting my trade as it makes it look like my shop is closed. My shop was not open at the time and I am glad nobody was hurt.

“It could have been a lot worse as there is no damage to my shop and it only brought down a part of the supermarket sign.”