Water enters Amersham gas network blocking gas supplies

Cadent attended an emergency call at Gilbert Scott Court, Amersham in the early hours of Monday 13 April 2026 and found that water had entered its gas network and was blocking the flow of gas into local properties¹. In its closing update on Monday 20 April 2026, Cadent said a burst water main had damaged a gas pipe and flooded three gas networks, and that over 2,600 litres of water was pumped out of gas networks¹.

The incident affected properties in the Whielden Street area of Amersham. Cadent worked with Affinity Water, the independent gas transporter GTC and ESP to restore supplies¹. Around 30 engineers from Cadent's London Network were in Amersham on 16 April¹. Whielden Street was closed from Gilbert Scott Court to The Broadway, with access to residents only and hospital access available via Whielden Lane; three way traffic lights were in place at the junction of The Broadway, Market Square and Whielden Street¹. Cadent opened a customer centre at The Pavilion, Barn Meadow Recreational Ground, School Lane, HP7 0ER¹.

Progress was reported in stages. By the evening of 15 April Cadent had pumped over 1,000 litres of water from its network along the Whielden Street area¹. On 17 April it said it had started to restore gas to affected properties while still pumping water, with over 2,000 litres removed so far¹. By 20 April it had turned the gas back on to all properties where it had been able to gain access, and ES Pipeline customers had also had supplies turned back on¹. Cadent said there were still customers on Gilbert Scott Court, on GTC's network, whose gas had not been turned back on, and that its engineers were assisting GTC with that work¹.

Cadent said it would visit a property at least three times, then leave a card so the resident could call when they returned home¹. It asked residents to check identification cards before allowing anyone into their home, and gave 0800 389 8000 as the number to confirm an engineer's identity¹. It advised anyone experiencing low or no gas pressure across all appliances who had not been visited to call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999¹. For help over the weekend it gave 0800 085 4478, and from Monday 0808 178 8078, staffed 8.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Friday¹.

On compensation, Cadent stated it has a statutory obligation to pay anyone who is without gas for more than 24 hours after the first complete 24 hour period¹. It said householders are entitled to £75 for every 24 hours off gas and businesses £130 per 24 hours, paid automatically through the gas supplier named at the top of the bill, with no claim needed¹. The page gives conflicting timescales for these payments: one passage says Cadent must pay gas suppliers within 20 working days after the incident is closed, another says within 10 working days¹. Residents and businesses on Whielden Heights and Gilbert Scott Court were directed to GTC about compensation, and those in Diamond Court to ES Pipelines¹.

Why it matters for households

The disruption ran for about a week, from 13 to 20 April 2026, and at the close of Cadent's updates some households on Gilbert Scott Court were still without gas¹. Restoration depended on engineers gaining access to each property to switch appliances and meters off safely before water could be pumped out, and then to carry out safety checks before gas was turned back on¹. Cadent asked people to be at home where possible, suggested leaving a key with a neighbour, or to say when they would be at home via the customer centre or phone line¹.

Cadent said it was visiting all residents in vulnerable situations to switch their gas off and providing assistance to those in the most vulnerable situations, including people who are elderly, chronically sick or recovering from a hospital stay, have a terminal illness, have a disability, have children aged 0 to 3, or are registered on the Priority Services Register¹. It described the PSR as a free service offered throughout the energy industry to domestic customers across England, Wales and Scotland, which people can register for themselves or for someone else¹. Anyone concerned about someone in a vulnerable situation was asked to contact 0800 389 8000¹.

Cadent's safety material states that carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas produced when fossil fuels including gas are burnt without adequate air ventilation, and that it can be fatal¹. It advises that gas appliances are installed, maintained and fixed only by Gas Safe registered engineers and checked annually, that boiler or fire flames should be blue rather than orange or flickering, and that an audible carbon monoxide detector should be bought and installed as a backup¹. It gives 0800 408 5500 for finding a Gas Safe registered engineer². Household guidance on coping without mains gas is set out in the site's gas and heating failures guide and in what to do when the mains supply to your home goes off.

What happens next

Cadent said it would pay compensation once the incident is closed and would write to affected customers explaining how payment would be made through their gas supplier, with no action needed from them¹. It said engineers would be on site over the weekend of 18 and 19 April completing restoration, and that early the following week it would fill in the excavations where water had been pumped out of the gas pipes¹. Further updates for Gilbert Scott Court customers were to be published by GTC on its website¹.