Stannington: 'Gas flood' victims pull together to beat cold snap after five days without heat

Michelle Spencer, landlady of the Crown and Glove on Uppergate Road, threw open the doors and offered a log fire and free soup, teas and coffees to grateful people struggling without heat and hot water and electricity.

She was among dozens to reach out to those in need including Shooters Grove Primary School on Wood Lane which laid on a hot meal for parents and carers.

On Facebook, Gemma Hilton raised over £200 from than 60 people to pay for hot food and mince pies for the more than 100 Cadent gas company workers battling to get people connected. Some 2,000 properties in Stannington and Hillsborough lost gas after a water main burst on Friday night and flooded the local gas network. Problems are still emerging.

Katie MacIver wrote: ‘Just got home from work and water is coming out of my boiler! Rang Cadent as I wanted to know if the gas needed turning off as we still have gas. They said it's coincidence and my boiler problem!’

Dave Lazenby said: ‘I live near the infants school and I now somehow have water coming into my front room. It’s saturated two electricity sockets. I was unaware of this last night until I tried to put some appliances on and saw the huge burst of electricity/light come from the extension I was trying to use.

‘Cadent have just told me it’s not their issue. Even though it’s not been raining at all and I need to call 105 (National Grid) and/or Yorkshire Water. As an aside, I asked for a heater and Cadent have also stopped issuing heaters due to the effect on the grid. Stay safe everyone’.

The incident has triggered a huge response from infrastructure firms and the city council which has declared a ‘major incident’ and assigned extra staff.

Local councillor, Penny Baker, was one of hundreds to demand answers from Yorkshire Water following reports of leaks ‘for years’.

Coun Baker said “I’d like to thank the local community for the amazing resilience they’ve shown over an incredibly challenging few days. Churches and pubs have opened their doors as warm spaces, community members have delivered hot food to people who are vulnerable and living on their own, people have been looking after our elderly residents at Manor House - everyone’s really pulled together to get through it.

“Cadent are also doing brilliantly – as busy as they are trying to repair the network, they’re stopping and talking to residents, keeping them informed, and keeping people’s spirits up. However, I think Yorkshire Water has got a lot of questions to answer. Residents and councillors have been reporting leaks for years – if these network problems had been dealt with proactively, an explosion like this wouldn’t have happened.

“Once the immediate emergency is over, residents want to know what compensation they can expect, they want assurances on the stability of the water network going forwards, and they want answers on how these leaks and pipe ruptures were overlooked.

“Yorkshire Water made a £241 million profit last year, and yet their network’s deteriorated until it’s at crisis point. What action are they taking, and what action is the regulator Ofwat taking to force Yorkshire Water’s hand? I’m calling for a full enquiry into Yorkshire Water’s handling of leaks in Stannington, as it’s the only way we’re going to get the answers this community deserves.”

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said burst pipes could happen for a number of reasons – often related to a change in temperature or pressure in the pipe.

He added: “We constantly monitor our pipes so that we can reduce the risk of bursts, and the pipe in Stannington hasn’t burst in almost a decade.

“Unfortunately, on this occasion, the burst water main has impacted gas pipes that were laid nearby. Cadent, with the support of our teams and service partners, are working around the clock to pump water out of the gas pipes and ensure it is safe to reconnect supply to customers properties. The co-ordinated approach has allowed a significant number of properties to be reconnected, with teams working as quickly as possible to reconnect the rest.

“With the support of the Red Cross, Sheffield City Council and other local organisations, we are checking in with those impacted, including customers who may be vulnerable. For those needing additional support, there is a customer centre at The Lomas Hall, Church St, Stannington, Sheffield S6 6DB or call 0800 917 9598.”

Northern Powergrid urged people to ‘stagger’ their use of appliance to avoid power cuts due to overloading in the system, with some residents experiencing repeated electricity outtages.

A spokeswoman said: ”We have switched our network around as much as possible to help increase capacity for our customers at this time when there is increased demand on the local electricity network. We have also communicated with customers about the importance of temporarily minimising the use of appliances, switching off or unplugging any electrical equipment that is not needed and only heating essential rooms, wherever possible

“We are encouraging customers to stagger the use of high-demand electrical appliances such electric showers, dishwashers, tumble driers and washing machines, to help reduce demand on the network until Cadent can safely restore their gas supplies.”

Cadent incident controller Richard Sansom said they had dug about 100 holes in roads to pump out water. About 400 properties were ‘back on’ he added.