Stannington gas floods: Yorkshire Water starting work to move Sheffield water main following devastating flood

The company said they, and their partners, will replace the current pipe with a section of new pipe, laid on a “slightly different route” away from the gas main. In December, hundreds of homes across Stannington and Hillsborough were without heating and faced days of disruption after a water main ruptured. High pressure water blasted holes in gas pipes and flooded the network.

A release from Yorkshire Water said: “A fitting on the water pipe was dislodged in December and at around the same time local gas supplies were impacted by water entering a gas main. There will be an independent investigation into the cause of the incident, the impact on the gas main and the response to it.”

The initial work, which will begin on Bankfield Lane and Sheldon Lane on Monday, January 9, will determine the route of the new water main. Yorkshire Water have said Sheldon Lane will be closed around their working area, with a section of The Rose and Crown pub car park used to maintain access for residents. There will be traffic lights installed at the junction of Highfield Rise and Bankfield Lane.

Neil Dewis, director of water at Yorkshire Water, said: “There will be some road closures in place while we carry out work to move the pipe which will begin with a series of trial holes to assess where all other utility apparatus is in the area. We’re working closely with Sheffield Council highways to make sure disruption is kept to a minimum and we are in the process of providing residents who are directly impacted by the work with detailed information.”

Stannington Gas floods timeline

On Friday, December 2, 2022, a water main ruptured on Sheldon Lane in Stannington at around 11pm. On December 3, it was reported high pressure water had blasted holes in the gas pipes and flooded the local gas network. it was estimated over 1,200 homes and buildings were without heating.

On December 7, following five days without heating, Sheffield City Council declared a major incident in the area, after the estimate for affected homes and buildings across Stannington and Hillsborough reached 2,000. A spokesperson for Cadent said their engineers were working to clear “around 200,000 litres of water” from gas pipes. On the same day, a number of residents banding together to provide food and warmth to one another.

At a press conference on December 8, attended by Yorkshire Water’s Neil Dewis, City Council CEO Kate Josephs and Olivia Blake MP, two angry Stannington residents interrupted to demand answers from Yorkshire Water, who were accused of being more interested in shareholders.

On December 11, just over a week after the burst, Ofgem said 340 consumers had been without water for a week, and Cadent said the issue was down to the “sheer volume of water in the gas pipes”.

Two weeks after the main burst, on December 16, Cadent announced every Sheffield home in the major incident area had been reconnected to gas mains. Affected residents would receive a minimum seven days compensation.