Gas restored to local network in Widnes incident

Cadent reported on Friday 15 May 2026 that gas was back in the local network in and around the Coronation Drive area of Widnes, Cheshire, and that engineers were visiting properties in all streets affected to restore supplies¹. The company said its teams identified on 14 May 2026 that water had entered the gas network, and that there had been a burst water main in the same area¹.

By 1pm on Sunday 17 May 2026, Cadent said it had pumped over 5,000 litres of water out of the gas networks, and that it had been able to turn the gas back on to all properties where it had been able to gain access¹. Earlier updates gave lower figures: at 1pm on 15 May the company said 2,000 litres had been extracted from the gas mains, with more still to recover¹. Cadent said a small number of properties had water beyond the meter, which it described as making restoration more of a challenge, and that specialist engineers were at the scene¹.

Three blocks of flats were expected to wait longer for reconnection: 274 Hale Road, 276 Hale Road and 60 Wyncroft Road¹. Cadent said it was in touch with all customers there¹. For the few remaining properties, the company said it would continue to visit up to three times and would then leave a card with its details so the resident could call when they returned home¹. It also said no properties in Coronation Drive were thought to be impacted, though an excavation was visible there¹.

Cadent's customer teams operated from space given at the New Inn pub in Hale Road¹. The customer contact centre number is 0800 389 8000 (8am-8pm Mon-Fri), and the national gas emergency service number is 0800 111 999, day or night¹. Cadent asked customers always to ask to see official Cadent identification before allowing anyone into their home¹.

Why it matters for households

Cadent states it has a statutory obligation to pay compensation to anyone without gas for more than 24 hours after the first complete 24-hour period off gas¹. Payment is automatic and is made to the customer's gas supplier, whose name is at the top of the gas bill, and the supplier then passes it on; Cadent must pay suppliers within 10 working days after the closure of the incident¹. How the supplier passes the payment on depends on the supplier, with some taking it off the bill and others sending a cheque¹.

Cadent said it was contacting customers on the Priority Services Register to provide additional support, including alternative cooking and heating where required¹. The register is described as a free service offered throughout the energy industry to domestic customers across England, Wales and Scotland, and people can register themselves or someone they think would benefit¹.

On safety, Cadent advises that if anyone smells gas they should act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999, day or night, and should not assume it is related to the work being done¹. It also states that carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced when fossil fuels are burnt without adequate air ventilation, that poisoning is preventable but can be fatal and often goes undetected, and lists headaches, nausea, tiredness and chest or stomach pains among the symptoms¹. Its guidance is that gas appliances should be installed, maintained and fixed only by Gas Safe registered engineers, and checked annually by one¹.

Households whose supply has been off can read guidance on getting your supply back on after an outage, help from networks during a long outage and what to do when the mains supply to your home goes off, with more in the gas and heating failures section.

What happens next

Cadent said it would keep visiting the remaining properties and would leave a card where no one was home so residents could arrange a return visit¹. It said it planned to issue a further update over the weekend only if there was a major change¹. No date for closing the incident, and therefore for starting the 10-working-day compensation payment period, has been reported¹.