POLICE and council officials have seized a timebomb hoard of petrol discovered in dozens of plastic canisters in a wooden shed.

Fire chiefs warned the illegally stored petrol could have caused a major explosion at the rear of Sough Road, Darwen.

Officers from Greater Manchester and Lancashire police stumbled across the fuel during a joint operation into an unrelated matter.

About 100 gallons of petrol and 25 gallons of diesel in plastic containers had been stored in the shed. Council officers served a legal notice on the unnamed owner ordering him to dispose of it safely within an hour at 3pm yesterday.

When the notice was not complied with, a Liverpool firm was called in to remove it.

Coun Maureen Bateson, executive member for Blackburn with Darwen council, said they planned to take legal action against the owner.

She said: "The council has already sought to inform the public of the dangers associated with improper storage of petrol.

"We will not hesitate to use our legal powers to ensure public safety is protected."

The limit on stored petrol is 20 litres spread between two 10-litre metal cans or 10 litres in two five-litre plastic containers. Illegal storage can result in up to two years' prison and unlimited fine. Only approved containers can be used as petrol can corrode some kinds of plastics and cause leaks. Pete Frazer, Blackburn fire service station officer, said: "Any amount of petrol can be a hazard, but in such large quantities it's very dangerous."

He said petrol vapourised easily from inadequately sealed containers and caused a risk of explosion.

He said: "Even a hot exhaust pipe from a car or the spark of a light switch could have set it off." Mr Frazer said sheds are also a target for vandals -- Blackburn officers have been called to six shed and outhouse fires in the last three days.

The force of the exploding petrol cans could have been enough to spread across the gap to the nearby houses. Diesel doesn't burn so easily, but if the petrol had caught fire, it would have started to burn giving off thick, black smoke.

Mr Frazer said: "This could have caused a very serious incident."

Police found the hoard while searching for firearms at another house in Sough Road following a shooting outside a Bolton nightclub last week. Armed officers attended and the street was sealed off in the early hours of the morning.

A police spokesman said the house, which was not connected with the fuel find, was entered and searched with the permission of the owner and no weapons were found.

No-one was arrested.