SGN, the gas distribution network, reported on Tuesday 15 October 2024 that gas supplies had been lost to approximately 290 properties in Winnersh, Berkshire1. Its engineers were on site to establish the cause and the extent of the issue, and the company began visiting affected properties to turn off the gas supply at the meter1.
The streets affected were Reading Road, Velvadene Walk, Turnstone Close, Verbena Close, Albany Park Drive, Lincoln Close, Arne Close, Drome Path, The Old Apple Yard, Greenacres Lane, Greenacres Avenue, Cavendish Gardens, Riverdene Drive and Gazelle Close1. In a later update SGN put the figure at approximately 300 properties, and said about nine homes could not be accessed1. Work to establish the cause was still ongoing at 5.30pm on 15 October1.
SGN opened a customer centre at 613 Reading Road, where electric hot plates and cooking appliances were available for those who are elderly, disabled, chronically sick or have young children or other special needs1. The company said it would contact households registered on the Priority Services Register, and gave a 24 hour number, 0800 912 1717, for others needing additional support1.
"It's important that you do not try to use your gas supply during this time."
By 9.45am on Friday 18 October, about 60 properties were still to be reconnected, most of them at numbers 523 to 481 and 496 to 532 Reading Road1. Gas was available to the remaining properties in Reading Road by 4pm that day, and SGN began revisiting homes to restore supplies and carry out safety checks1. At 3.30pm on Saturday 19 October the company reported fewer than 30 properties without gas, including homes where access had not been gained, and said some network upgrades would not be completed until the following day1.
SGN stated that each household would receive £70 for each complete 24 hour period without gas, paid automatically through the energy supplier as a credit on the next bill, usually within four weeks, with no application needed1.
Why it matters for households
Households on the fourteen streets lost mains gas for heating, hot water and cooking, and SGN turned supplies off at the meter before any restoration1. The company told residents not to try to use their gas supply during the outage and not to turn it back on themselves, saying engineers would visit once it was safe to restore it1. Where nobody was at home when an engineer called, SGN left a card and asked residents to call 0800 912 1717 to rearrange1. It also asked people to take extra care around excavations and barriers1.
SGN repeated that anyone who smells gas at any time, indoors or outdoors, must call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 right away1. Households without gas can read our guides to gas and heating failures and to what to do when the mains supply to your home goes off, including help from networks during a long outage.
What happens next
SGN said on Saturday 19 October that it hoped to reconnect the majority of the remaining supplies by the end of that day, but that some network upgrades would run into the following day, leaving a handful of supplies unrestored that evening1. It asked anyone who was out when an engineer visited to call 0800 912 1717 to rearrange1. The cause of the loss of supply had not been reported as established1.
When the Mains Supply Goes Off
Help During a Long Outage
