Customer CentreWe have customer liaison officers in the affected area, providing assistance to those who need it.
We have kindly been given space at the New Inn pub, in Hale Road, for our customer teams to operate from. You are welcome to visit us here if you need us.
Our customer contact centre number is 0800 389 8000 (8am-8pm Mon-Fri).
For emergencies [smell gas, or suspect carbon monoxide? Hit a gas pipe while digging?] - call 0800 111 999* immediately (24/7)
Our customer teams are onsite to support customers who need it, particularly those on the Priority Services Register.
Just a quick final update for the day.
With Eurovision now in full swing, our engineers are finishing up for the evening with only a handful of properties still needing to be reconnected.
All properties have been visited throughout the day and if we have been unable to gain access then a card has been left with a telephone number for residents to call and arrange a time for us to return and reconnect your supply tomorrow.
Thank you once again for your continued patience and understanding as we resolve this incident.
With gas now restored, it is also important that we remind you that if you ever smell gas, act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 – day or night. Do not assume it is related to the work we are doing. It may not be and needs to be checked. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.
Cadent would like to thank the residents in and around the Coronation Drive area of Widnes, Cheshire, for their patience and understanding during the recent incident where a burst water main damaged a gas pipe and flooded the gas networks.
Over 5,000 litres of water has been pumped out of gas networks.
Cadent has been able to turn the gas back on to all properties where we have been able to gain access, but we do still have some homes where our engineers have not gained entry. Cards have been left at each of these properties so the resident can call us when they return home. Our teams remain in the area and will continue to visit these properties this evening.
Important: please do not try to restore your own supply. It is not safe to do that. Please wait in for one of our engineers to visit. If you need to go out, could you leave a key with a trusted neighbour?
There are customers in three blocks of flats (274 Hale Road, 276 Hale Road and 60 Wyncroft Road) who, unfortunately, will need to wait a little longer for gas to be restored. We are in touch with all customers here and have explained the work we’ll be doing over the weekend to get them back on gas as soon as possible.
Now that gas is restored, it is also important that we remind you that if you ever smell gas, act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 – day or night. Do not assume it is related to the work we are doing. It may not be and needs to be checked. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.
Great news! We now have gas back into the local network and our engineers are visiting properties in all streets impacted by this incident, to restore supplies.
Important: please do not try to restore your own supply. It is not safe to do that. Please wait in for one of our engineers to visit. If you need to go out, could you leave a key with a trusted neighbour?
Don’t worry, we have a small army of engineers working into this evening to visit every property. In a small number of cases, we have found water has gone beyond the meter, which makes restoration more of a challenge. We have specialist engineers at the scene of the incident, who can deal with this.
If we get no answer when we knock, we will keep making return visits - and have engineers working into the weekend for any ‘no answer’ visits this evening. It will just help speed this up if you are able to stay in and wait for our visit.
There are customers in three blocks of flats (274 Hale Road, 276 Hale Road and 60 Wyncroft Road) who, unfortunately, will need to wait a little longer for gas to be restored. We are in touch with all customers here and have explained the work we’ll be doing over the weekend to get them back on gas as soon as possible.
Thank you again for bearing with us, and for being so supportive and so kind to our teams. We really appreciate it. So far, we have extracted 5,000 litres of water from the gas pipes in the impacted area – which has been challenging, to say the least.
We only plan to issue a further update over the weekend if there is any major change.
Our customer teams are still operating out of a base this evening (until 9pm) at the New Inn pub, in Hale Road, so do come along here if you need to make us aware of anything.
Now that gas is restored, it is also important that we remind you that if you ever smell gas, act immediately and call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 – day or night. Do not assume it is related to the work we are doing. It may not be and needs to be checked. All calls are recorded and may be monitored.
Good afternoon
We are pleased to say that, after good progress by our engineers this morning, we are starting to restore gas supplies at some properties in Westminster Close and Ditchfield Place.
So far, we have extracted 2,000 litres of water from the gas mains and there is still more to recover. This means that, for customers in other streets, we need to ask you to continue to bear with us at this stage.
We always take a safety-first approach to restoring gas supplies after a water ingress incident. We need to be sure all the water is out of the pipes which bring gas to your home, before restoring your supply.
This will mean different timelines in different streets, for gas restoration. We pause briefly to assess the impact after water is cleared in each street, before making a decision on where best to go next.
As our engineers are satisfied we can attempt to restore your supply, they will knock on your door to gain access to do so. So, please do try to stay in, or perhaps leave a key with a trusted neighbour if you need to go out?
Most importantly, do not try to restore your own gas supply. It’s not safe for you to do that. Our engineers will safety check everything, to make sure it is all working as it should be.
Our customer teams are out and about in the area, and have a base at the New Inn pub, in Hale Road. Please do come to visit us if you need any support.
Thank you again for bearing with us. We will provide updates on here as we have them.
Good morning
Our engineers were back onsite from early this morning to continue dealing with this issue of water in the gas pipes.
We must do this in a structured way – which involves first making sure the supply to each affected property is off, while also getting everything set up to then begin pumping the water out of the pipes.
We continue to visit homes in the affected area, as we need to gain access to confirm the supply is properly isolated. This is a very important part of the restoration process. Please do not try to do this yourself. It can cause issues later. It will be a huge help if you can stay in for us to do that. If you need to go out, perhaps leave a key with a trusted neighbour?
If we can be assured all supplies are isolated, we want to begin pumping the water out of the gas mains from later this morning.
Please watch this video for more information on how we deal with water in gas pipes:
Our customer teams are also back in the area this morning – based from the New Inn pub, in Hale Road, and they are also out and about in the affected streets. Please do let us know if you need any support. Pop into the pub to see us, or ask any member of the team - we're here to help you.
Thank you again for bearing with us. We will provide updates on here as we have them.
A message from Phil Hendrick, Head of Operational Delivery (North West), Cadent:
“Customers in the area in and around Coronation Drive, Widnes, are experiencing issues with their gas supply today (14 May 2026).
“Unfortunately, we have found water in the local gas network. A water main burst in the same area earlier today, which has since been repaired.
“Our immediate priority is to confirm how far water has travelled within the gas pipes and safely remove it all, as even small amounts of water can disrupt gas supply to homes and other properties.
“Our engineers are on site and working to isolate supplies where needed, so we can carry out this work safely and restore normal service as quickly as possible.
“This will require our engineers to visit every affected property, to turn off the gas supply safely. Please do not attempt to do this yourself.
“We would also remind customers to be safe and vigilant – always ask to see official Cadent identification before allowing anyone into your home.
“We are contacting customers on the Priority Services Register to provide additional support, including alternative cooking and heating where required.
“We’d like to thank customers for their patience and understanding. We appreciate it’s not nice to be without gas, whether that’s for heating, hot water, cooking, or all three. We are doing everything we can to resolve this as quickly as we can.”
We will continue working until around 11pm this evening and will return early tomorrow (Friday).
Our customer team is based from the New Inn pub, Hale Road. They will also be there until 11pm this evening and return early tomorrow (Friday).
Will I get compensation for being without gas?
This depends on how long you are off gas. Cadent has a statutory obligation to pay compensation to anyone who is without gas for more than 24hrs after the first complete 24hr period of being without gas.
Do I need to claim for compensation?
No. If compensation is applicable, compensation for the loss of your gas supply will be paid automatically to your gas supplier whose name will be at the top of your gas bill. Your gas supplier will then pass this on to you.
When will I get my compensation?
If compensation is applicable, Cadent must pay the compensation payments to the gas suppliers within 10 working days after the closure of the incident.
How will my gas supplier pass on this compensation payment?
If compensation is applicable, this will depend upon your gas supplier. Some may take it off your gas bill; others may send you a cheque.
How much will I receive?
This will depend upon how long you were without gas. We pay compensation for every 24-hour period you are off gas after the first 24 hours. We pay £75 for every 24-hour period off gas to domestic customers and £130 for every 24-hour period off gas to business customers until we can re-connect your supply.
For example: Tuesday 15th November at 5pm gas supply was turned off. Friday 18th November at 7pm gas supply is reconnected. Total hours off gas = 74hrs, entitled to 48hrs compensation = £150 compensation.
With the current gas supply incident across the area, Cadent engineers may require access to your property (if you are a gas user) to facilitate the restoration of your gas supply.
Before you let anyone into your home you need to know they are who they say they are, so you should always ask to see their identification card.
When one of our engineers arrives at your door, they will always show you their Cadent identification card. To confirm they are who they claim to be you can call us on 0800 389 8000 to confirm their identity.
Our engineers will not be offended if you close the door and make the call to us. They will wait on the doorstep until you are happy to let them in.
We will be visiting all residents in vulnerable situations to switch their gas off. We are also providing assistance to those in the most vulnerable situations, including anyone on the Priority Services Register.
If you know of someone in a vulnerable situation and you are concerned please contact 0800 389 8000.
The Priority Services Register (PSR) is a free service offered throughout the energy industry available to domestic customers across England, Wales and Scotland.
It helps energy companies like Cadent look after customers who have extra communication, access or safety needs. It’s free and easy to join and gives extra support to those who need it.
You can register yourself, or someone you think would benefit from being on the PSR.
Find out more here https://cadentgas.com/help-and-advice/priority-services-register
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a poisonous gas that is produced when fossil fuels - coal, wood, oil and gas, are burnt without adequate air ventilation.
Carbon monoxide is:
The symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
If you experience any of the above symptoms you should seek medical advice straight away.
Check list to ensure you don’t suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning. Ensure:
If appliances have not been serviced recently or have been deemed at risk, please call 0800 408 5500 to find a Gas Safe registered engineer in your area.
If you are tenant in accommodation; tell your Landlord, who is responsible for ensuring appliances are safe to use and instructing a Gas Safe registered engineer to repair or maintain the gas appliances.
Further information on carbon monoxide can be found at the following:
https://cadentgas.com/suspect-carbon-monoxide
www.nhs.uk/conditions/carbon-monoxide-poisoning/Pages/Introduction.aspx
This is a large-scale incident. Further instructions will be given when it is safe for gas supplies to be switched back on.
At this stage, we know that properties in the following streets are affected.
While no properties in Coronation Drive are thought to be impacted, you will notice we have an excavation here. This is to help us repair the gas pipes and remove the water from the local network.
