So what
happens when someone dials the National Gas Emergency
Service?
Making the call
When you
dial 0800 111 999, your call will be routed to the call
centre.
It doesn't
matter what time of day or night you ring they will
have trained operators working round-the-clock waiting to
take your call.
Questions, questions!
A call
handling agent will log all the appropriate details onto a
computer. The kind of information you'll be asked for will
include:
-
The
address/location of the suspected gas escape or gas
emergency
-
How
many people are at the property where the smell is most
noticeable?
-
How
long the smell has been noticeable?
-
Is the
smell coming from the cellar/basement?
-
Are
any neighbours affected?
-
Your
name and phone number
-
Any
special circumstances or access information
Getting
accurate address details is very important as they want to
make sure they send engineers to exactly the right place.
You will be asked to verify these details for this very
reason. Your address and postcode are particularly
important.
You'll be
asked a series of questions designed to help them build a
picture of the reported gas escape or gas emergency. From
these details, they can identify the right gas safety advice
for you - such as:
-
Opening doors and windows
-
Turning the gas off at the meter unless the meter is
located in the cellar/basement
-
Avoiding the use of any naked flames or electrical
switches
All calls
to the National Gas Emergency Service and National Enquiry
lines may be recorded and monitored.
Send for an engineer
Once all the information has been gathered, it will be sent
electronically to an engineer for action.
How long
will you have to wait for an engineer to arrive? National
Grid aims to attend all uncontrolled escapes within one
hour, and all controlled escapes within two hours. A
controlled gas escape is one where the person reporting it
has confirmed that the gas emergency control valve serving
the premises has been turned off and the smell of gas has
gone. An uncontrolled gas escape covers all others.
Sometimes,
there engineers will be sent to a leak that has been
reported outdoors. Around a quarter of these turn out not
to be gas leaks at all. Around 80% of the gas escapes they
attend are inside buildings. That means the escape is
related to internal pipework, a boiler, gas fire or other
gas appliance If this is the case please dial
0207 183 2727.
What if the gas leak is indoors?
National Grid engineers will always 'make safe' when called
to a suspected gas escape. However, the emergency service
provided by National Grid under the terms of its Licence
doesn't cover repairs to appliances or installation pipework
So what do I do next?
Once we have made the property safe, there engineer will
explain that any work on appliances (e.g. cookers, boilers
or fires) has to be carried out by a Gas Safe registered
engineer. To call a Gas Safe registered engineer , please
visit website
www.paceplumbing.co.uk or
call on
0207 183 2727 or 07412 653650
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