Stannington: Sheffield City Council leader Terry Fox fears 'gas flood' disaster is becoming humanitarian issue

Councillor Terry Fox said he is considering launching a special ‘Gold Command’ high-level, co-ordinated response to help thousands of people without heating or hot water ahead of sub-zero temperatures this week. It comes after the number of properties affected increased from 1,200 to 2,000 and the area expanded from Stannington to Hillsborough.

A water main on Bankfield Lane, Stannington, burst on Friday night and tore holes in gas pipes, inundating the network. Householders reported water gushing out of hobs and gas meters, and broken boilers.

Coun Fox said he was leading a group including the deputy leader, council chief executive and department directors to meet MP Olivia Blake in Stannington to assess the situation.

He added: “I’m concerned it has gone from an engineering problem to a humanitarian issue. We need to decide whether to introduce our own incident management like the Gold Command we used to help vulnerable and elderly people during the pandemic. I’ve heard some horror stories from Stannington and I’m concerned it seems to be escalating just as we face a cold weather warning. We have to make sure support services are in place and people have got what they need.”

MP Olivia Blake said she urged Chancellor Jeremy Hunt to give the council emergency funding and had asked for urgent assistance from the Secretaries of State for Business, Environment and Levelling-up.

She also said the chief executive of Yorkshire Water had serious questions to answer. Residents say the village has suffered at least nine bursts in the last 12 months.

She added: “My heart goes out to all those affected – this is a terrible thing to happen at any time, let alone weeks before the holiday season. In the coming days and weeks, I will be supporting those affected in whatever way I can and have stationed a member of staff in the emergency hub to action any casework arising from the incident.”

Gas company Cadent said 400,000 litres of water had been pumped from gas pipes. They hoped to restore heating to 500 properties by the end of Tuesday but could not say when everyone would be back online. Some 35 damaged gas meters had been replaced so far and another 45 were expected to be, a spokeswoman said.

The firm says it has more than 100 staff working with British Gas engineers and Northern Powergrid. It has set up a support centre in The Lomas Hall in the village which is handing out electric heaters and hobs. It is also paying people without gas £65 compensation a day.

Some residents are demanding Yorkshire Water pays compensation.

A Yorkshire Water spokesman said they had ‘lot of people’ in Stannington offering engineering support, helping the dig teams and going door-to-door speaking to vulnerable customers.

She added: “We apologise for the impact our burst water main in Stannington has had and understand how difficult it has been for those affected. The burst water main has been fixed and we’re continuing to work closely with Cadent to provide additional support in the area.”

The Lomas Hall is on Church St, Stannington, Sheffield S6 6DB or call 0800 917 9598.