Santa and his reindeer aren’t the only ones working this Christmas!

The man in red may be taking all the plaudits for his work over the Christmas period, but there will be plenty of Cadent employees donning their work attire this festive season to ensure that your gas network remains running smoothly.

While many will be putting their feet up for a well-deserved break, our engineers and call centre staff will be working around the clock to ensure festive food can be cooked on Christmas Day and gas supplies remain safe.

Christmas Day is no different to any other for our colleagues as we will respond to calls to the Gas Emergency number and continue to tackle any gas escapes across our networks.

With millions of turkeys and nut roasts heading for the oven this Christmas and central heating systems keeping festive families warm, Cadent is urging people to be extra alert to potential gas or carbon monoxide escapes over the holidays.

If you can smell gas and/or think there could be a leak, you should call us immediately on  0800 111 999* at any time of the day or night and we can give you some advice on what to do next.

Before that, taking the following action will help keep you and the property safe:

• DO open doors and windows to ventilate the property.
• DO turn off the gas at the mains tap. This can usually be located near the gas meter and has a handle that can be turned 90 degrees. If the gas leak is in a cellar or basement, do not enter and instead evacuate the building.

If you suspect you have a gas leak or you smell gas, it is important that you don’t do any of the following as these could place you in further danger:

• DON’T turn any power or light switches on or off.
• DON’T light any sort of flame within the property.
• DON’T use any appliances that could cause a spark.

Sometimes a gas leak can lead to you feeling physical symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, nausea and headaches. These symptoms should ease when you leave the property, however we’d advise that you visit your GP as a precaution if you’ve been exposed to a gas leak.

If you smell gas outside your home, you should call the National Gas Emergency Service number on 0800 111 999 as soon as possible. Refrain from lighting any naked flames in the area and wait for an emergency gas engineer to attend and investigate the problem.