SGN said its engineers had completed repairs to the gas pipeline in Herne Bay, Kent, that was damaged by a third party on Saturday 25 January, and that it would begin turning gas supplies back on in some locations in the CT6 area from the evening of Sunday 26 January1. The company described the incident as a loss of supply affecting properties in the Cornwall Road area1.
In its Sunday 26 January 7.30pm update, SGN said repairs to the damaged pipe were complete and that restoration would start that evening, with checks continuing across the affected network1. The following evening, SGN revised the number of properties affected, saying it now knew that 1,750 properties had been affected rather than the approximately 1,200 outlined in an earlier update, which it attributed to a number of customers who had self-isolated and had now been confirmed off1. By 8pm on Monday 27 January it reported 850 properties reconnected, including two local schools able to reopen the next morning, and said it was focusing on vulnerable customers including those on the Priority Services Register1. On Tuesday 28 January it reported 690 properties still to go at 12.30pm and 382 at 7pm1.
SGN said it had brought in additional resources, including colleagues from Portsmouth, Oxford, London and Aldershot, and opened a customer centre at St Peters Church, Herne Drive, Herne Bay CT6 7SH, where portable heaters and hotplates were available for customers on the Priority Services Register1. On Sunday afternoon it said that due to high demand only hot plates remained at the centre and all portable heaters had been given out, with remaining hot plates prioritised for customers on the Priority Services Register while it awaited another delivery1.
"Please DO NOT turn on your gas supply, our engineers will be visiting every affected property to do this for you for safety reasons."
SGN also asked customers in the affected roads who believed their supply was affected to report "no gas" by calling the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999, and said every customer in those roads should ensure all gas appliances and equipment were turned off as a safety precaution, including the emergency control valve by their gas meter1. It set out four steps for turning off supply at the meter: turning off all gas appliances first; giving the ECV a quarter turn in either direction so it sits at a right angle to the gas pipe; displaying the appropriate label on the front door or window; and calling 0800 111 999 if gas is smelled at any point1. It said customers must not turn their gas back on until told to do so1.
On compensation, SGN said that under arrangements agreed with the energy regulator Ofgem, households without gas for more than 24 hours receive £70 per household for each complete 24-hour period without gas, paid automatically through the supplier as a credit on the next bill, with no need to apply1. It said processing usually takes four to five weeks but can sometimes take up to three months to show on an account, depending on the supplier's billing cycle1.
Why it matters for households
The incident affected several hundred properties in the Cornwall Road area of Herne Bay from Saturday 25 January, with the confirmed total later revised to 1,750 properties1. SGN said restoration would be carried out strategically to protect the security and integrity of the network, so neighbouring streets or areas might be switched on first, and that it could not give timescales for specific addresses1. It advised that supplies must not be turned back on by households themselves and that engineers would visit every affected property to do this and carry out safety checks1. Households that were out when an engineer called were asked to contact SGN's 24-hour customer service team on 0800 912 1717 to arrange a revisit1. SGN said customers who are elderly, disabled, chronically sick or have young children or other special needs could collect portable electric appliances for cooking and heating, and that it was prioritising vulnerable customers on the Priority Services Register1. The site's guide to getting your supply back on after an outage and the household guide to gas and heating failures cover reconnection and loss of supply more generally.
What happens next
SGN said its customer centre at St Peters Church would remain open until 9pm on Wednesday 29 January for questions, concerns or reconnection, and that its Wednesday 29 January 6.30pm update was its final update1. It said almost all affected properties had by then been reconnected, and that anyone who was out when an engineer called should phone 0800 912 1717 to arrange a revisit1. Compensation payments were to follow through suppliers, typically within four to five weeks and sometimes up to three months1.
Getting Supply Back After Outage
