- Leak found on a gas main under Preston Road (near the hospital)
- Engineers working on this ‘live’ (gas stays on), with safety as top priority
- Teams working hard to keep road opens; budget extra travel time
Teams from local gas network Cadent are working to fix a leak identified on a gas pipe under a busy road in Chorley.
They suspect it is coming from a pipe that runs under Preston Road, close to the junction with Euxton Lane.
The challenge facing the Cadent engineers is to repair this without completely closing the road.
By using temporary traffic lights, they’ve been able to keep the roads open and maintain a safe area for the teams work in.
All entrances to the hospital also remain open.
“The leak is under control, but it couldn’t be in a more challenging place,” said Colin Baker, Customer Operations Area Manager for Cadent.
“Our priority is keeping everyone safe, but we are also working very hard to keep traffic flowing as well as keep gas flowing into people’s homes.
“We appreciate everyone’s patience while we carry out this work, and know too that it’s causing traffic issues in the local area.
“Once we’ve got down to the pipe and assessed the nature of the leak, we’ll have a much better idea how long this will take to complete.
“My team is monitoring the gas readings regularly.
“We’re only detecting low readings – nothing that need worry anyone.
“Moving in now to fix this will ensure everything remains safe.”
If you smell gas
If you smell gas during this work, nearby or anywhere, always ring the national gas emergency service immediately, day or night, on 0800 111 999*. Do not delay, or assume it’s related to this work. It may not be and must be checked.
Cadent in the North West
Cadent operates four of the UK’s eight gas distribution networks – North West England, West Midlands, Eastern England and North London.
Its North West network stretches from the Lake District to Crewe and is home to 21,000 miles of distribution pipes (most of them underground) and hundreds of above ground installations.
If placed end to end, that amount of pipes would stretch from the North West to Sydney, Australia, and back again.
Around £800m will be invested in the North West’s gas network over the next five years. This will maintain safe, secure supplies to homes, hospitals, schools, offices, and other sites, and provide greener options for heating our homes.
Backed by Cadent and many partners, the North West region is set to lead the way in a major shift from fossil gases to hydrogen. Producing only heat and water at point of use, hydrogen is key to the UK’s net zero future and is set to be introduced at volume in the North West this decade (see
www.hynet.co.uk).