AN EXPLODING lorry tyre was blamed for a mystery detonation which shook buildings ‘like a bomb’ in Old Town in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The noise in Newport Street woke up dozens of bemused residents who ran out into the road to find five of the six double-glazed panes in an empty shop had been shattered.

Owner Paul Searle claims the detonation was caused by a blow-out on a passing articulated lorry, but some traders suggest it felt more like a bomb or an underground explosion.

Police are appealing for witnesses, including the driver, but stress there is no evidence to link the noise or damage to the lorry.

The incident took place at about 7.50am at the former Install Kitchens premises which has been up for sale as a cafe for the last 18 months.

In the Wheatsheaf pub next door, landlord Jim Bowd and manager Pete Plomer were awoken when they heard the explosion.

Mr Bowd said: “I was fast asleep and suddenly there was this almighty bang. It sounded just like a bomb going off, it was one of the loudest bangs I have ever heard.

“I thought something in the pub had blown up so I leapt out of bed and went for a look around, and out of the front windows there was all this broken glass.”

Mr Bowd said he was ‘surprised’ he was later told the detonation and damage had been caused by the blow-out.

“I wouldn’t have thought one tyre going off would have caused that much damage,” he said.

Several staff at Swindon Aerial Services, on the other side of the empty shop, were already working when the explosion happened.

Office manager Andrew Davidson said: “It actually felt like an underground explosion or a two-pound bomb.

”I still can’t believe it was a lorry tyre to be honest because the whole building shook and when we went running out there was nothing out there.

“We originally thought a lorry had driven into our shop because the thud moved the building.”

Mr Searle arrived at the premises for a routine inspection at 10am and found large fragments of rubber outside, including several pieces as large as a fist.

After the building, including the gas system, was found to be sound, he asked the traders what had happened and boarded up the windows.

He said: “It was thought that from the debris a tyre had exploded, shattering my shop windows and spraying rubber.

“The driver of the lorry then parked it in Devizes Road and went back to the scene to retrieve some kind of mudguard.”

Mr Searle, who is insured for the damage, added: “I am concerned that just a short while later, it could have been more serious with injury to passers-by or schoolchildren.”

Swindon police are appealing for witnesses to help establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. A spokesman said: “At this stage there would seem no evidence of criminality. It can’t be confirmed if this damage was caused by the lorry or not, and if it was, it may be that the driver was not even aware.”

Anyone with information can call the police on 0845 408 7000.