- Our engineers went to 38,768 emergency jobs about reported gas escapes last December
- Cadent engineers will travel 2m miles this month to ensure you have gas on demand
- Gas customers advised to get annual safety check to avoid problems as winter bites
- If you smell gas, call the National Gas Emergency Service 0800 111 999 immediately
Engineers working for your gas emergency service Cadent are expected to clock up more miles than Santa to keep energy flowing through the festive season.
The man dressed in red and white will fly 1,440 miles from Lapland to Central London yet the red and white vans driven by Cadent’s engineers will cover up to two million miles across a footprint which takes in half the UK.
Cadent is the company which keeps gas flowing to 11 million homes and businesses that use grid gas for heating, cooking and power.
And it’s not just the engineers who will be keeping the Christmas holidays safely ticking over. Cadent also co-ordinates the
National Gas Emergency Service, answering one call every 20 seconds (24/7, including on Christmas Day) to the national 0800 111 999 service.
If there’s an emergency in its network area – such as a suspected gas escape – the same team will arrange for a Cadent engineer to attend quickly.
Last December, the call handling team answered more than 38,000 calls from the East Anglia, North West, East Midlands, West Midlands and North London regions – with many calls coming in on Christmas Day itself.
John Duckworth, head of operations for Cadent in North West England and the West Midlands, said:
“We know we’re the last visitors you want to have in your house on Christmas Day, but it’s good for you to know that we’re there if you need us,
if you smell gas or suspect a gas leak.
“The number to call if you smell gas or suspect a leak is 0800 111 999.
“To ensure your gas is working safely, it’s vital to have all your gas appliances – cookers, hobs, fires and boilers – checked and serviced by
a qualified, Gas Safe registered engineer.
“This will give you peace of mind and ensure everything is working as it should when temperatures really start to bite over winter.
“Know the signs too of when your appliances aren’t working properly, including a lazy, yellow flame rather than a crisp blue one, and black marks around the appliance.
“Poorly maintained gas appliances can lead to problems with
carbon monoxide poisoning which kills 40 people across the country each year and hospitalises another 4,000.
Symptoms to look out for include headaches, dizziness, nausea and breathlessness.”
Cadent looks after a complex network of 80,000 miles of gas pipes running under roads and through fields of Eastern England, the Midlands, the North West and North London.