Lives were put at risk by a reckless resident who deliberately damaged his gas meter and warned "I'm going to blow the whole street up".
Sinka Razvan told his neighbour to be "ready to evacuate" after leaving his house with large volumes of gas seeping out while he went to walk his dog. Newcastle Crown Court heard the neighbour, on Station Road, Wallsend, who had heard two loud bangs and saw him squirting liquid onto her front path that she feared he may ignite, called the police in fear.
Officers arrived in the area and found Razvan, who was arrested while out walking his dog on Wallsend High Street. A potential disaster was only averted by "sheer luck" when police went to the property to return his dog and noticed the smell.
