Interruption to gas supplies in Hester’s Way, Cheltenham

Please read the following statement from Wales and West Utilities:

Clive Book, Wales & West Utilities Head of Emergency Services, said: “We are sorry that people in the Hesters Way Road area of Cheltenham have had their gas supplies interrupted. This was caused by another utility company damaging one of our gas pipes which allowed water to enter the gas network.

“The streets affected include: Dill Avenue, Hester’s Way Road, Ismay Road, Lipson Road, Milne Walk, Pennington Court, Upson Road, Welch Road

“We continue to remove water from the gas network, and our engineers are visiting each home to safely turn their gas back on and relight their appliances. All our engineers will be carrying identification.

 “Overall, 209 homes have been affected by this incident. Approximately 63 houses are still without gas. This is a complex job, and our engineers will be working as safely and as quickly as possible to restore the gas supply to the remaining houses. We anticipate that this will take at least the rest of the day. We have engineers in the area from right across our network working to resolve this issue as safely and as quickly as possible.

“Our customer service team are visiting each home still off gas, and are distributing vouchers for food at Beefeater Cross Hands, Tewkesbury Road, Uckington, Cheltenham, GL51 9SL. They are serving food until 10pm this evening.

“We have also arranged shower facilities at Leisure@Cheltenham, Tommy Taylors Lane, Cheltenham, GL50 4RN. These will be ready from 4pm and will be open until 7.30pm this evening. They will reopen at 6am tomorrow morning. Light food and refreshments will also be available at the leisure centre café with a voucher from our customer service team

“If anyone needs assistance, or knows of a neighbour or relative who may, please let us know - our Customer Service Team is ready to take your call. You can contact us on 0800 912 2999 or by [email protected]. Alternatively, you can contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or Facebook.com/wwutilities.

“We will continue to keep people updated on our progress by posting information on our website, on social media and updating local media outlets, including local radio stations. Our engineers are also going door to door keeping local people updated and if you have any questions, they are able to help.

“We know this is disrupting homes and families at the weekend, and we appreciate the inconvenience it has caused. We would like to thank the local community for bearing with us while we restore their gas supplies as safely and as quickly as possible.”

Pat Pratley, head of paid service for Cheltenham Borough Council, continues: “Cheltenham Borough Council works as part of the Local Resilience Forum to deal with such emergencies. Our role on this occasion was to open up a rest centre where affected residents can access refreshments and necessary facilities. Wales and West Utilities representatives will also be available on site to answer residents’ queries.”

For Wales & West Utilities media enquiries, contact their 24 hour line: 0800 6441000