A couple were rushed to hospital after the pavement they were walking on EXPLODED beneath their feet.
The 20-year-old woman and her 18-year-old boyfriend suffered burns in the blast, which was caused by a faulty underground electrical junction box.
Fire investigators believe a loose wire caused the box to overheat before it exploded outside the Britannia Hotel in Fairfax Street, Coventry, West Mids.
The explosion hurled paving slabs and manhole covers several feet in the air.
The couple, who have not been named, were rushed to the city’s Walsgrave Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
A West Midlands Fire Service Spokesman said: ”We were called to an explosion and two crews attended.
”There was no fire to speak of, the explosion is believed to have come from an electrical fault that occurred under the pavement.
”We’re working with electrical contractors to ensure the scene is safe. The casualties were in the street when it happened.”