Sunday 26 January - 7.30pm updates
Key updates:
- Repairs to the pipe that was damaged by a third party yesterday are now complete.
- Our engineering teams will begin restoring gas supplies in some locations in Herne Bay CT6, from this evening.
- Heaters and hotplates are once again available at St Peters Church for anyone on the priority services register.
- Households without gas for more than 24 hours will receive compensation.
Our engineers have now completed repairs to the pipeline that was damaged by a third party on Saturday. As a result we will be starting to turn gas supplies back on in some locations in Herne Bay CT6 from this evening. We are also continuing to carry out checks throughout the affected areas of network.
What this means for you?
Please DO NOT turn on your gas supply – our engineers will be visiting every affected property to do this for you for safety reasons. We will need to restore supplies strategically to ensure the security and integrity of the network. You may notice neighbouring streets or areas being switched on before you, but please be patient, we will get to your home as soon as possible.
Compensation
You will receive compensation for the time you were without your gas supply, as agreed with the energy regulator Ofgem. If you’re without gas for more than 24 hours, you will receive £70 compensation per household and for each complete 24-hour period you had no gas. This compensation is paid through your energy supplier and will appear as a credit on your next bill. There is no need to apply for this as it’s paid automatically.
Customer centre opening hours
Heaters and hotplates are once again available at St Peters Church for anyone on the priority services register. We'll be at the church until 9pm today and then back again at 9am tomorrow. Please visit us if you need support.
Our engineers will continue working until late tonight and then return to resume work first thing in the morning. It’s too early to say how long it will take to complete all the affected supplies, but we’ll keep you updated on this page.
Our next update will be posted here tomorrow morning.
Sunday 26 January - 3.50pm update
Due to high demand we currently only have hot plates remaining at our customer centre in St Peters Church, and all portable heaters have been given out to customers. While we await another delivery of heating and cooking appliances, we are prioritising the remaining hot plates for our customers registered on the Priority Services Register.
We will update this page as soon as further stock is available for collection at St Peters Church, Herne Drive, Herne Bay, CT6 7SH.
Sunday 26 January - 12 noon update
Residents in the Cornwall Road area of Herne Bay will notice increased activity on the site where a third party damage occurred on our network yesterday. Our work to repair the network is underway but still too early to say at this stage how long it will take to complete.
We’ve opened up a temporary customer centre at St Peters Church, Herne Dr, Herne Bay CT6 7SH. Please drop in here if you wish to speak to us. If you are elderly, disabled, chronically sick or have young children or other special needs, we have portable electric appliances available for collection at the church for cooking and heating. Please note we have very limited parking on site.
We're requesting customers in the following roads who believe that their gas supply is affected by this issue to report ‘no gas’ by calling 0800 111 999.
Every customer in these roads should also ensure all gas appliances and equipment are turned off as a safety precaution. This includes the emergency control valve (ECV) by their gas meter. Please do this whether or not your supply is affected. We are visiting all affected streets to carry out safety checks throughout today.
How to turn off your gas supply at the meter
For your safety and ours, we need your help. Please follow these four steps to turn off your gas supply at the meter.
1. Turn off all your gas appliances before you try to turn off your gas supply.
2. Turn off your gas supply at the meter. Your meter could be under the stairs, in a cupboard or in a meter box outside your property. Give the ECV (a spanner-style handle) a quarter turn in either direction so it's at a right-angle with the gas pipe. There may be a yellow tape on the pipe to guide you.
3. Display the appropriate label on your front door or window if you are able to. This lets us know whether you've turned off your supply, need help to turn off your supply or if you don't have a gas meter. Make sure the label is facing outwards for us to see.
4. If you smell gas at any point, please call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999.
For your safety, you must not turn your gas back on until we tell you to do so.
Our next update will be provided later today.
Saturday 25 January - 11.20pm update
Gas supplies to several hundred properties in the Cornwall Road area have been affected after our network was damaged by a third party earlier today.
Our engineers remain on site investigating the extent of the damage and establishing the required repairs to our affected gas main.
Every customer in these roads should also ensure all gas appliances and equipment are turned off as a safety precaution. This includes the emergency control valve (ECV) by their gas meter. Please do this whether or not your supply is affected. We are visiting all affected streets to carry out safety checks throughout today.
How to turn off your gas supply at the meter
For your safety and ours, we need your help. Please follow these four steps to turn off your gas supply at the meter.
1. Turn off all your gas appliances before you try to turn off your gas supply.
2. Turn off your gas supply at the meter. Your meter could be under the stairs, in a cupboard or in a meter box outside your property. Give the ECV (a spanner-style handle) a quarter turn in either direction so it's at a right-angle with the gas pipe. There may be a yellow tape on the pipe to guide you.
3. Display the appropriate label on your front door or window to let us know whether you've turned off your supply, need help to turn off your supply or if you don't have a gas meter. Make sure the label is facing outwards for us to see.
4. If you smell gas at any point, please call the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999.
For your safety, you must not turn your gas back on until we tell you to do so.
If you are elderly, disabled, chronically sick or have young children or other special needs, we have portable electric appliances available for cooking and heating. These can be obtained by visiting our temporary customer centre at St Peters Church, Herne Dr, Herne Bay CT6 7SH..
We appreciate it's not easy being without your gas supply and we thank affected Herne Bay residents for your ongoing support.
Our next update will be published in the morning.
Saturday 25 January - 8pm
We're investigating reports of lost gas supplies in the Cornwall Road area of Herne Bay.
Our engineers are on site establishing the extent of the issue and the required network repairs.
It's difficult to estimate how long it will take to restore supplies, but we'll be updating this webpage with information as it becomes available.
If you smell gas, or have concerns about gas safety, please call the National Gas Emergency Number on 0800 111 999.