METHANE gas leaking from the old pit stack at Royston has caught fire.
It is thought someone lit the gas on the land off Pools Lane at about lunchtime on Tuesday.
No one was injured and there was no damage but Royston Fire Station manager Jon Parkes said the gas was highly flammable.
He added: "There is no immediate danger but the gas is all at ground level. But if anyone comes along with a lighter it can cause a fire."
He said the colourless and odourless gas could only catch fire if it was ignited by a naked flame or spark.
Mr Parkes said the methane was leaking from either the former pit or sewers through several grates in the ground.
He added that large funnels are usually placed where the methane is leaking to allow it vent off into the atmosphere.
But there are no funnels at the pit stack and a continual flow of methane from below ground level means it is floating above the surface.
Methane gas has been lit in the area before and fire officers are trying to find out who owns the land to see if funnels can be installed.
