Wolverhampton: emergency work under way to repair gas main

Aug 26 2020 in your area

Gas engineers have closed a busy road junction in Wolverhampton today (26 August) to enable them to safely carry out urgent repairs to a pipe that runs underneath the carriageway.

Cadent, which manages thousands of miles of gas pipes that run under the Black Country, has found gas is escaping in small amounts from a pipe about one metre below Rookery Road.

Although the escape – at the junction of Birmingham New Road – is small in volume, and well below levels to require action such as evacuation, it has to be fixed before it gets any worse.

Yesterday, the team moved in under a one-way closure. But after a series of ‘near misses’ – motorists and pedestrians ignoring warning signs – a full closure is now needed.

There is no access from or to Rookery Road, at the junction with Birmingham New Road.

Craig Hansbury, Customer Area Operations Manager for the Black Country, said: “We know this isn’t ideal, but hope people understand it’s essential work and a full closure is needed to keep everyone safe as we complete the work.

“At this stage, we anticipate the repair will take a couple of days to complete and then we’ll get the road reinstated to good order and ready to reopen. Please follow the diversion signs in the meantime. We really appreciate everyone’s patience.”

There should be no impact to local gas supplies.

Cadent in the West Midlands

Cadent manages the entire 15,000 miles of underground gas pipes and hundreds of above ground stations that form the West Midlands gas network. It also provides the 24/7, year-round gas emergency service for the same region.

More than 80% of Wolverhampton’s 102,000 households are heated by gas.

Cadent

Cadent is the UK’s largest gas distribution network with a 200-year legacy. We are in a unique position to build on strong foundations whilst encouraging the curiosity to think differently and the courage to embrace change. Day to day we continue to operate, maintain and innovate the UK’s largest gas network, transporting gas safely and protecting people in an emergency. Our skilled engineers and specialists remain committed to the communities we serve, working day and night to ensure gas reaches 11 million homes from Cumbria to North London and the Welsh Borders to East Anglia, to keep your energy flowing.

Future of Gas: Here at Cadent we support the Government’s plans to reach Net Zero by 2050. That means we’re backing the introduction of hydrogen as a low carbon alternative to natural gas for the future. We know people love the controllability of gas and, with our network already in place, it makes sense to switch to the lower carbon alternative offered by hydrogen, which we believe can keep homes and businesses warm for generations to come.

Cadent manages the national gas emergency service free phone line on behalf of the gas industry - 0800 111 999*

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