Villagers rally together after network 'incident' leaves Leicestershire homes without heating
Watch ITV News Central's Lucy Kapasi reporting from Ratby, where thousands of people are going without heating and hot water
Thousands of residents in Leicestershire have been without heating and hot water for days, after a huge volume of water got into gas pipes.
The major incident was declared in the villages of Ratby and Kirby Muxloe after a water main burst - and with temperatures just above freezing, the timing couldn't have been much worse.
Around 200 gas engineers have descended on the villages from across the country - as villagers rally together to support the most vulnerable in their communities.
Timeline of the incident
Tuesday 30 January
Just after midday, Cadent Gas engineers are 'mobilised' to Ratby and surrounding areas after water reportedly leaked into local gas pipes.
Engineers report that there is "a large volume of water in our pipes" meaning some homes and businesses are without gas.
The water has to be completely removed before the gas can be turned back on.
Cadent said: "the scale of task means this is not going to be a quick resolution," adding: "This is going to take some considerable time – days, not hours."
They set up a 'customer centre' at Ratby village hall, where local people can pick up a fan heater, blankets, and thick socks to keep themselves warm.
Wednesday 31 January
Engineers knock on doors in the area to safely switch off the gas supply in affected homes and businesses.
Cadent stated that: "We have already started the preparation work, and since yesterday we have already extracted over 30,000 litres of water from our gas network.
"We don’t know how much water has entered the network, so we can’t say for sure how long it will take to clear the network entirely."
The area is divided into four 'zones' for the engineers to work across. 'Warm Welcome' sites are set up across the area to help locals stay warm whilst their homes are without gas.
Engineers continue to urge people not to try and turn off their gas supply themselves, stating they must wait for a gas engineer to do it for them.
In the evening, Cadent asks residents to reduce their electricity usage after reports of some streets in Ratby losing power.
Cadent stated: "If we have given you a fan heater, please DO NOT use other high usage electrical appliances, such as a washing machine, tumble dryer or hair straighteners at the same time.
"This will over load the electricity network and result in power cuts too."
Thursday 1 February
Cadent announced "restoring gas supplies in Kirby Muxloe Zone 4, went well yesterday and more than half of homes are now back on gas."
They added: "However, we have found some water in certain areas in Zone 4, so we have had to go back to pumping water out of the pipes, which has slowed progress slightly.
Gas engineers will start restoring gas to buildings in Zone 3 - and Cadent added that "with some additional work, we will be able to get some streets back on in a new zone - Zone 1a."
Water is continuing to be pumped out of gas pipes in Zones 1 and 2 - the gas company stated that "realistically, we won’t be able to get gas back into these pipes until Friday and into the weekend."
Electricity was restored to the affected street - but Cadent continues to warn people to "use electricity wisely", adding: "Don’t use too many electrical appliances all at the same time."
30,000 litres of water has since been pumped out of the gas pipes. Cadent Gas employee Richard Sansom said: "We now know the full extent of the impact to our network, and we've got our arms around that.
"We're actively today [Wednesday 31 January] clearing water out of our network and we're starting to put gas back on.
"We haven't got a full timescale yet of it as we don't know where the water has settled precisely, but in the next day or so we'll have further information to share with people."
Across village halls in Ratby and Kirby Muxloe, Cadent employees and volunteers handed out heaters, blankets, socks and supplies to help keep locals warm during the crisis.
Councillor Ozzy O'Shea, from Leicestershire County Council, said: "We've got people here being given heaters, blankets, just to make sure that they can carry on, because it could be days before we get gas back in Ratby.
"So basically, I'm very proud of the community, we have a fantastic community spirit, we work hard, we look after each other, and people have been coming down to get stuff for their neighbours."
Saturday 3 February
200 engineers and support teams are still working in Kirby Muxloe and Ratby to restore gas to properties.
Approximately half of homes are still without gas, and Ratby Village Hall remains open for those needing hot food, blankets and electric heaters.
Gas in back in the pipes in Zones 1, 3 and 4, meaning many homes will soon have their gas restored.
However, there is still water in some of the pipes, and engineers are unsure how long the issue will last.
Richard Sansom, the Cadent Network Director for the East Midlands told ITV News Central: "As we go down the hill to Kirby Muxloe we're finding more and more water, although we think we've found the worst impacted area which is Kirby Muxloe so things are ever improving.
"In the next day or so we should have a good understanding of how long this is going to take to wrap up."
Affected residents have been told to expect information about how to claim compensation on Monday.
Cadent are still asking residents to refrain from switching their gas back on themselves, and to wait for engineers to visit their homes instead.
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