“You start feeling hopeful that the gas will return, but then it doesn’t,” remarked Tina Korhonen, who has been without gas in her north London home since January 12.
Approximately 2,000 residences in the Muswell Hill region are still experiencing a gas outage due to a water main break that flooded the gas lines.
With four blankets stacked on her bed, Ms. Korhonen expressed that the absence of hot water has been the most challenging aspect of the interrupted gas supply.
Cadent Gas, responsible for the UK’s National Gas Emergency Service, stated that they are diligently working to restore services, having already removed over 33,000 liters of water from the gas system.
Affinity Water announced that it is currently investigating how the water infiltrated Cadent’s infrastructure.
Alison Elangasinghe, 44, shared that her gas was restored at 10:15 PM GMT on Sunday, yet not everyone on her street has been reconnected.
“We consider ourselves fortunate,” said the mother of two. “It’s unfortunate for those who are still without service.”
During the week, Ms. Elangasinghe noted that her family received offers for hot showers from friends who still had heating.
“People have shown remarkable kindness,” she commented.
Community chat groups have been active, with neighbors providing support wherever possible.
“Many have been quite anxious and concerned,” Ms. Elangasinghe added. “This is an unusual situation, and the lack of a clear timeline can be frustrating.”
Ms. Korhonen mentioned that the scenario has fostered a stronger sense of community among her neighbors.
“We have a fantastic WhatsApp group for our street. There have been jokes and plenty of information shared,” she stated.
“Someone even offered to cook for me.”
According to Vicky Grieve, Cadent Gas’s director of network operations for the east of England, about a third of the impacted homes have regained their gas supply.
“The magnitude and complexity of the situation are significant,” she explained. “We’ve had to divide the network into 15 zones to safely reintroduce gas.”
Cadent aims to restore service to the remaining homes by the weekend, contingent upon their engineers being able to access each property for safety inspections.
“I completely understand how challenging and disruptive it is to be without gas,” Ms. Grieve noted.
“We are making every effort to restore the gas safely.”
A representative from Affinity Water advised customers to stay informed with updates from Cadent Gas.
“While Cadent oversees the resolution of the situation within their network, we are fully dedicated to supporting them and assisting the local community throughout the restoration efforts,” they stated.
Additional reporting by Ayshea Buksh.
