Storm Christoph: update from North West’s gas network  

in your area

Engineers who look after the North West’s 21,000-mile gas pipe network battled atrocious weather conditions last night as they worked through the night to keep everyone safe and on gas.
 
A leak on a gas main under a motorway (Manchester), a tree falling on to a pipe that crosses a river (Cheshire), sink holes in roads and water in gas pipes were just some of the emergency jobs attended.
 
Cadent, the company which maintains the North West’s gas network, is working alongside the emergency services, highways and local authorities to respond to the challenge posed by Storm Christoph.
 
Nearly three million homes, hospitals, schools and other premises in the North West region rely on gas for heat, hot water and cooking. Only 59 lost supply overnight (all due to water in pipes). Work is ongoing right now to fix that.
 
A gas leak under the M60 – north of Manchester – required the closure of the motorway for several hours while teams worked to safely reduce pressures and keep people on gas. The M60 was reopened early today, with work continuing off the motorway on a permanent solution.
 

A tree has fallen on to a gas main that crosses a river in Northwich, Cheshire. The pipe is secure, and gas continues to flow safely through it. Teams are working now to sort this.
 
Ground movement has caused holes in roads across the region, some of which are near to underground gas pipelines. They are all being monitored and not presenting any safety issues at present.
 
Water entered the gas pipes in several locations, including in Tameside and the Ribble Valley, with 59 properties known to be without supply overnight as a result. This is also now being fixed.
 
Jenny Moten, Director of Cadent’s North West network, said: “It’s been an extraordinary night and an extraordinary effort by many agencies to look after everyone in the North West.
 
“Gas is one of those things that the vast majority of us need, but don’t often think about how it gets to our properties. It involves a massive team effort, most of which goes unseen. The determination of my team – and all the agencies we work with – has been fantastic. I’m proud of everyone, working in atrocious weather, through the night, to keep our customers safe.”
 

The North West’s gas network

Cadent manages the network of more than 21,000 miles of gas pipes and hundreds of above ground stations in North West England. These distribute gas to 2.7 million homes, hospitals, schools, offices and other buildings, as well as to industry and HGV fuel stations. Four in every five homes in the region 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*

Cadent Gas Ltd is owned by a consortium of global investors.

*All calls are recorded and may be monitored.

Media contacts

Kevin Hegarty

kevin.hegarty@cadentgas.com

07970 694897