An Asda delivery driver may have saved a pensioner's life after noticing a bad smell when he arrived at her home to drop off her shopping. The driver commented to Jacqueline Seanor, 67, that there was a strange whiff when she opened the door to her home on Sunday, December 11.
The driver, named Rodney who works at the Asda branch in Aintree, told vulnerable Jacqueline he could smell gas, which according to Jacqueline's daughter Michelle she had not noticed, the Liverpool Echo reports. Jacqueline then phoned her daughter to share what Rodney had told her, and then Michelle called Cadent, the gas emergency service.
When a Cadent engineer arrived at Jacqueline's home in Thornton almost immediately, they confirmed there was indeed a "really bad" smell of gas. After running tests and finding the levels of gas were high, he shut off the supply.
If you can smell gas in your home, or think there could be a leak, Cadent advises you call them immediately at any time of the day or night on the National Gas Emergency Service number 0800 111 999. They advise you should open doors and windows to ventilate the property and turn the gas off at the mains tap if possible.
Cadent says you should not turn any power or light switches on or off, light any sort of flame or use appliances that could cause a spark.
Michelle, 37, says she cannot thank Rodney, the delivery driver, and the Cadent engineer James enough for their quick work, which she thinks may have saved her mother's life. She explained: "My mum wasn't able to smell anything and because she's vulnerable and things don't always click right away, she didn't really understand what the delivery driver was saying. When he said he could smell gas from in the home, she said 'I've just put my heating on so that would be why'.
"A man called James came almost immediately and ran tests, he said the gas should be between low and mid but it was very high. He then shut off the gas and filled out loads of forms which put her at the top of the list because she is vulnerable.
"He then went back to the office and came back with two heaters, a thick blanket, and some socks to keep her warm in this weather. He also brought her a hot plate as she told him her oven wasn't working."
Due to Michelle living more than 250 miles away in Portsmouth, she said the help of James and Rodney was "invaluable" and she couldn't thank them enough for "saving" her mum. She said: "If it wasn't for Rodney and James my mum might not have been here right now if she lit a candle. She was already almost a goner as she was in hospital as blood clots got in her lungs.
"I just can't thank them enough for saving not just my mum, but my family and possible even her neighbours lives. "
Fortunately, Jacqueline did not need any medical help after Cadent found the leak and is now waiting for an engineer to visit her home and find the source of the leak.
See cadentgas.com/emergencies/smell-gas for advice on what to do if you smell gas.
