Gas outage households will not receive compensation until 2024, says Island Energy

Thousands of customers were left without gas following a major system fault in October Credit: ITV Channel

Households affected by October's major gas outage in Jersey will not receive any compensation until at least the New Year, according to Island Energy.

Some residents and businesses were left without supply for weeks following an island-wide fault on Saturday 7 October.

Island Energy say a software issue caused the gas plant to shut down, with the company's Chief Executive Jo Cox adding the odds of this happening were "like someone winning the EuroMillions".

Around 4,400 customers across Jersey use gas for heating and hot water, cooking or both - although only those on mains supply were affected.

Some restaurants were forced to cancel bookings and throw away food, with residents left unable to cook or heat their homes.

An Island Energy spokesperson told ITV News the company is still reviewing October's disruption but that their insurance will not cover any compensation to customers.

They added: "This is because there are no pre-agreed or pre-planned conditions for payments to customers when disruption occurs, and therefore any payment would be classified as a goodwill payment and not compensation.

"We are factoring this into our plans to understand the full impact on our business and will be able to provide more information to customers in the New Year.

"We would ask that customers bear with us, we will inform them of our plans as soon as we are able."

Island Energy has added that "business customers are now able to speak to our team about the disruption and there is a process for them to follow to show us any adverse effects they may have experienced.

"This is done on a case-by-case basis and in a way that complements any business insurance they may already have."

Unlike the UK where there is statutory compensation, the Channel Islands is not covered by a gas regulator so any payments would need to be agreed between customers and companies.

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