A major incident has been declared in Sheffield after thousands of homes were left without gas for five days.
The homes have been without a gas supply as temperatures have plummeted below freezing. Supply was cut to around 2,000 homes in the Stannington area of the city when a burst water main damaged a gas pipe on Friday - sending hundreds of thousands of litres of water into the gas network.
Engineers have been spending days flushing water out the system after some householders saw liquid pourng from their gas meters.. Sheffield Council has now declared a major incident so services can be concentrated on the area.
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Council leader Terry Fox said: “Over the weekend we were alerted to a contained situation and have been assisting Cadent as best we can. Since then, the incident has progressed and spread further across the city.
“With a colder spell due in the coming days it is important we and other organisations across the city collaborate to ensure all the residents affected are provided with the support they require, especially the most vulnerable.
“By declaring a major incident, we will be better able to co-ordinate the overall response to the issues and call on additional support if needed.”
Community buildings, including a pub, were available for those who have lost their energy supple and are struggling to keep warm.
Olivia Blake, Labour MP for Sheffield Hallam, said she has asked Chancellor Jeremy Hunt for emergency funding for the council.
She said: “I have further meetings planned with Yorkshire Water and I am in ongoing talks with the leadership of the council on getting support to residents.
“I have also spoken directly with the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging him to provide emergency funding to the council and have written to him formally, alongside the secretaries of state for Business, for the Environment, and for Levelling-up, to request urgent assistance.
“My heart goes out to all those affected – this is a terrible thing to happen at any time, let alone weeks before the holiday season.”
Gas firm Cadent said it has already pumped more than 600,000 litres of water from its system.
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