Emergency engineers from Northern Gas Networks are attending a gas escape in Hartlepool.

Due to the emergency repairs, it has been necessary to put in place temporary 4-way traffic lights between York Road and Park Road in Hartlepool

Northern Gas Networks apologises for any disruption to motorists and the public while the essential repairs take place.

Site Manager Paul Medley said, “At this stage, we are unable to say when the repair will be complete but our engineers will work around the clock. We apologise for any inconvenience.”

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has been awarded Freight Transport Association Van Excellence Accreditation, the fleet gold standard for compliance and road safety self-regulation.

NGN’s fleet was awarded the accreditation after passing a tough audit earlier this month.

The gas distributer for the North of England, Northern Cumbria and most of Yorkshire secured the recognition after passing a stringent audit at the start of November.

NGN’s current fleet consists of 550 commercial vehicles and FTA Van Excellence accreditation demonstrates a business’s commitment to safer, more efficient and sustainable van operations.

The audit explores every aspect of safety; from policies to Green Road telematics, vehicle MOTs and servicing, records keeping and licensing to driver behaviour, competence and identification.

It also examines the mechanisms in place for reporting and repairing faults, promoting safe ways of working and engaging staff in actively adopting these processes.

The FTA gave particular praise to NGN’s electronic driver licensing and drug and alcohol checks policies – rated as ‘ahead of the game’ by inspectors.

Fleet and Facilities Manager for NGN, Mark Squires said: “This is clear recognition from a prestigious national organisation that as a business we take our driver safety and fleet management obligations very seriously, and that our systems and procedures are robust.

“The majority of the work that enabled NGN to achieve this status is being done every single day by our operational managers, supervisors and the drivers themselves.

“Managers, the Health and Safety team and our driver coaches have played a massive role through their focus on driver behaviour which is clearly reflected by our Green Road scores.

“This is fantastic news for NGN and something we should be extremely proud of given how crucial the role of our fleet is to our business.”

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Emergency engineers from Northern Gas Networks were called to a reported gas escape at a business park on Station Road, Brompton on Swale at 9am today (Friday 11 November 2016) following third party damage to a small service pipe which connects the gas main to one of the units.

As a precaution, North Yorkshire Fire Service evacuated the property and surrounding units while NGN’s team made the situation safe and isolated the gas supply to the affected property.

Following gas safety checks customers were able to return to the buildings, however engineers will remain on site today to complete repairs on the service pipe.

Anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £386,000 to upgrade the ageing metal gas distribution network in and around Queensway, at Rothwell, Leeds.

The major project is part of NGN’s ongoing development of infrastructure in the area and will involve replacing 2.7km of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

The project, which will begin on Monday 28 November and last around 24 weeks with an estimated completion date of 26 May 2017, has been planned in conjunction with Leeds City Council to ensure all works are completed with as little disruption as possible.

Works will start on Wood Lane at the junction of The Paddock where two and three -way traffic signals will be in place for around six weeks. These will be manually operated at peak morning and afternoons to reduce any potential congestion.

Once works on Wood Lane are complete, engineers will move to Dawson Lane and continue on a street-by-street basis until the project is complete. Works will take place on Windsor Crescent, Churchfield Lane, Queensway and Haigh Road.

Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and engineers will be working Monday to Friday between 8am and 5pm.

NGN’s Customer Care officers are doorknocking local homes and businesses to make them aware of the scheme, and will continue to provide updates throughout the project. A customer cabin will also be on site for customers to visit if they have any questions or require further information.

Russ Oxley, Construction Services Area Manager Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with Leeds City Council to carefully plan these works in order to minimise any disruption to customers.

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and thank our customers for their patience and support in getting them completed as quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

World War Two bravery, a commendation from Winston Churchill and a gas industry family connection dating back decades have been revealed after Northern Gas Networks (NGN) announced its intention to safely dismantle the remaining gas holder at Minton Lane, North Shields.

Back in September, the Newcastle Chronicle ran a story about the gas distributor’s plans for the holder, which is being taken down in a £450,000 investment project to modernise the network, carried out by specialist partner G O’Brien & Sons.

As part of the project, NGN are seeking local people’s ‘Gas Holder Memories’, a special campaign to record and commemorate the structures’ connections to local communities.

Chronicle reader Linda Pattison got in touch to share her family’s incredible ties to the holder site, which saw her mother, Lorna Brooks, scale a 60-foot frost-covered gas holder in only a dressing gown and slippers to seal a hole created by incendiary bombing during a German air raid in 1941.

Lorna Brooks, nee Duncan, who climbed the gas holder to plug leaks created by incendiary bombing during a German air raid in 1941.

Lorna, then Lorna Duncan, was a 20-year-old student teacher and the youngest of 10 children for whom Gasworks House at Minton Lane, North Shields, had been home between the two World Wars.

Their father, George Duncan, was manager of the gas yard. His daughter’s heroism, plugging a leak with clay to stop escaping gas after the yard foreman had collapsed, took place in the dark during one of the heaviest nights of bombing in the North East.

The Minton Lane gas yard at North Shields, photographed in the 1930s.

Initially sent away at the start of the war after George’s concern that the gasworks would be a target for German bombers, his daughters had returned home when their widowed father became ill and there had been no bombing. However, George’s worst fears were realised on April 9, 1941.

Lorna wrote about the incident for the Chronicle in 2001: “I had gone to bed at 11pm when the air raid sirens sounded, followed shortly afterwards by the sound of incendiaries falling. It was like thousands of tin cans crashing down. “Some incendiaries had fallen on the three holders, breaking through the metal tops into the coal gas below. As there was no oxygen there the bombs could not immediately ignite but the holes had to be filled.

“Employees on duty were dealing with those, but suddenly we heard the whistle of explosives falling and flung ourselves on to the ground. We were showered by stones and mud – it was amazing that none of the explosives fell onto the holders but onto land next to them.

“As dawn approached I met Father going back into the works. He said he was on his way to holder number three, where an incendiary had made a hole and gas was hissing out. Three men went with him to fill the hole but did not know the way up. I knew almost every inch of the works, having played there as a child.

“I decided I would have to ascend, and do what I could. Finding the hole was easy, all I had to do was go towards the hiss of the escaping gas, but the wire handle of the bucket of clay was cutting into my hand. Learning by trial and error, building a wall of clay around the hole I managed to seal the gap.”

The Duncan family children, pictured at the gas yard on Minton Lane.

Mrs Brooks, who died in 2003, received a commendation for bravery from British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and accompanied her father, George Duncan, to Buckingham Palace. He was awarded the MBE for his action at the works throughout that night when he was still recovering from pneumonia. The yard foreman, Joseph Callaghan, who had been overcome by gas fumes while dealing with holes in the gas holders, was awarded the George Medal, the first ever awarded to a North Shields citizen.

Lorna’s commendation of bravery from Winston Churchill.

For around 100 years, gas holders were a vital part of the local gas supply system, responsible for supplying gas to thousands of people across the country. In more recent years, the gas holders have been used to bolster the network’s gas supplies during colder weather, and at peak times in the early evenings. However, advances in technology and the enhanced capability of the modern-day gas network, means gas holders are no longer in use.

Mark Johnson, Major Projects Team Lead at NGN, learned about the family’s connection to Minton Lane recently when he met with Lorna’s brother-in-law George McDonald, the only surviving member of the family to be involved that night.

Afterwards Mark said: “It’s an incredible story and fascinating to hear. The bravery that Lorna and the workers at the yard showed in order to prevent a huge tragedy unfolding is truly moving, even 75 years later”.

“The family has a special connection to the gas yard, and although the gas holder is now being removed, their story will not be forgotten and we’d like to thank them for sharing it with us.”

NGN continues to encourage customers to share their memories of the gas holder at Minton Lane through its ‘Gas Holder Memories’ campaign by emailing gasholdermemories@northerngas.co.uk, using #gasholdermemories on Twitter or Facebook, or in writing to: Northern Gas Networks, 1^st Floor, 1 Emperor Way, Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland, SR3 3XR.

NGN is aiming to demolish 23 of the region’s gas holders by 2021 as part of its continued investment in modernising the gas network.

A short film has been made to commemorate NGN’s gas holders as they disappear from the region’s skyline.  The film is available to watch at: http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/ngn-and-you/environment/cleaner-and-greener/case-studies/

Anyone that smells gas should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Here at NGN, we’re constantly trialling new technology and innovative ways of working to keep the whole sector moving forward.

Midge the gas detection dog, one of the many innovation projects being trialled at NGN.

In 2015/16, we invested nearly £2.7 million in innovation projects under the Network Innovation Allowance.  We completed 14 projects, got 32 underway and there were 41 new suggestions under review.

There’s a lot going on and to share the latest updates on our projects with our customers as well as colleagues, we commissioned a special animation to illustrate everything that’s happening.

Please take a look to learn more…

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £370,000 to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network in the Woodlands Avenue, Willow Rise and Stutton Road area of Tadcaster.

The major project will involve replacing 5.3km of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

This work forms part of NGN’s wider investment in Tadcaster’s infrastructure, which is essential to ensuring that gas supply meets demand during the winter months, following the collapse of Tadcaster Bridge in December last year.

Work will begin on Monday 7 November and last approximately nine weeks with an estimated completion date of 27 January. These works are essential to ensure a reliable gas supply to properties, before the onset of winter.

NGN has worked closely with North Yorkshire County Council to minimise the impact of the work, since identifying the need for the project with the council.

North Yorkshire County Councillor Don Mackenzie, Executive member for Highways, said: “These works identified by Northern Gas Networks are essential to ensure residents retain the gas supply they need, which is particularly important as we head into winter.

“They are part of the ongoing work to strengthen Tadcaster’s resilience. We will continue to liaise with NGN to minimise any disruption.”

In order to complete the project as safely and quickly as possible, two teams of engineers will start work at the end of the estate and move inwards. As well as Woodlands Avenue, Stutton Road and Willow Rise, other streets which will be affected include Dorchester Road, Marlborough Avenue, Sedge Rise, Broom Road, Woodlands Views, Beech Tree Road, Fir Tree Crescent, The Fairway, Cherry Tree Walk and Windmill Rise.

Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times and engineers will work from Monday to Friday between 8am and 4pm, although will work seven days per week when necessary.

A Customer Cabin will be on site every Thursday from 1-3pm, where Customer Care officers will be available to discuss the works, provide progress updates and answer questions.

Robert Hope, Construction Services Area Manager at Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with North Yorkshire County Council to carefully plan these works in order to minimise disruption to customers.

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and thank our customers for their patience and support in getting them completed as quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

NGN’s Customer Care officers recently lent a helping hand to Mirfield Community Centre.

The gas transporter for the north of England is currently replacing old gas mains with new plastic pipes in Holmdene, during a 14-week project registered with the Considerate Constructor Scheme.

As part of NGN’s pledges to the scheme, Customer Care officers head into the community and explore ways they can make a difference to local groups and charities.

The community centre on Water Royd Lane in Mirfield has provided car park space for NGN to place their Customer Cabin during the project, so in return the Customer team offered their painting services to the centre.

The NGN team take a break for a quick photo during their day’s painting at Mirfield Community Centre

Amy Hurd, Natalie Beal, Suleman Lorgat, Katherine Lee and construction services colleagues Tom and Matt of D&N Reilly grabbed their rollers and brushes for a day of repainting a room used for children’s groups.

Amy explained: “The centre have been so hospitable, they’ve allowed me to use all their facilities while the project has been under way so in the next few weeks I will be helping paint the railings as well. ”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

The North of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks, (NGN) recently said thank you to two sets of stakeholders in Penrith.

The gas transporter announced plans to safely dismantle its gas holder on Old London Road earlier this summer, in a £480,000 investment project to modernise the network.  Working with specialist partners KDC Contractors Ltd, NGN began the work in July and expects to complete it by March 2017.

The project is registered with the Considerate Constructor Scheme, and monitored on the measures put in place to be more considerate to the public, workforce, environment and the local neighbourhood.

For around 100 years gas holders were a vital part of the local gas supply system, responsible for supplying gas to thousands of people across the country. In more recent years, the gas holders have been used to bolster the network’s gas supplies during colder weather, and at peak times in the early evenings. However, advances in technology and the enhanced capability of the modern-day gas network, means gas holders are no longer in use.

The Old London Road holder was a dominant feature of the Penrith skyline and as with so many of the structures, NGN recognises that it holds important memories for the nearby community.

So as a thank you to neighbouring business Field View Electrical Ltd, and the residents of nearby retirement home Merlin Court for their support as work continues, NGN’s artist-in-residence Mick Hand created bespoke paintings of Penrith Castle and the town’s famous Black Angel statue, which were then presented to both sets of stakeholders.

Field View Electric Ltd take delivery of their bespoke painting from the NGN team. The painting was created by NGN’s artist-in-residence Mick Hand.

Site Manager for NGN Richie Dawson explained: “The staff at Field Electrical Ltd have been so accommodating and patient during the project; letting us use a compound for access and use their water supply. We can’t thank them enough for being so supportive so just wanted to show our gratitude.

“The residents and the staff at Merlin Court have also been great neighbours as the project continues, so we wanted to show our appreciation for their patience and support by presenting a special gift.”

Merlin Court are presented with their bespoke painting of the Black Angel, created by NGN artist-in-residence Mick Hand.

NGN is encouraging people to share their memories of the gas holder at Penrith through its ‘Gas Holder Memories’ campaign by emailing gasholdermemories@northerngas.co.uk, using #gasholdermemories on Twitter or Facebook, or in writing to: Northern Gas Networks, 1^st Floor, 1 Emperor Way, Doxford International Business Park, Sunderland, SR3 3XR.

NGN is aiming to demolish 23 of the region’s gas holders by 2021 as part of its continued investment in modernising the gas network.

A short film has been made a short film to commemorate NGN’s gas holders as they disappear from the region’s skyline.  The film is available to watch at: http://www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk/ngn-and-you/environment/cleaner-and-greener/case-studies/

Anyone that smells gas should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

The north of England’s gas distributer, Northern Gas Networks (NGN), is investing £145,000 to upgrade the ageing gas distribution network in Liquorice Way, Friarwood Lane and Queen Street, Pontefract.

The major project is part of NGN’s ongoing development of infrastructure in the area and will involve replacing 570m of existing metal gas mains with more durable plastic pipes, to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in the area for years to come.

In order to carry out the work with as little disruption to customers as possible, the scheme is being delivered in two phases, the first beginning Monday 31 October. This phase will last around six weeks with an estimated completion date of 9 December, having been planned in conjunction with Wakefield Council.

The first stage of the scheme will begin on Liquorice Way on Monday 31 October and take around three weeks to complete. To carry out this stage as safely and efficiently as possible, there will be three–way temporary traffic signals on Liquorice Way at the junction of Front Street and Corn Market in place for one week.

Works will then begin on Friarwood Lane on Monday 21 November and last approximately one week, with three-way temporary traffic signals in place at the junction of Grove Road. The signals will be manually operated during peak traffic flow.

On Monday 28 November, works will begin on Queen Street and take two weeks to complete marking the end of the first phase of the scheme.

The second phase will begin on Monday 4 January 2017, with more details to be released nearer to the time.

Pedestrian access will be maintained at all times with engineers working Monday to Sunday between 8am and 5pm.

Josh Hampshire, Construction Services Area Manager at Northern Gas Networks said: “We have been working closely with Wakefield Council to carefully plan the majority of these in order to minimise any disruption to customers.

“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these works, and would thank our customers for their patience and support in getting them completed as quickly as possible.”

For further information about the project please contact NGN’s Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766, option 7 or email customercare@northerngas.co.uk

Anyone that smells gas or suspects Carbon Monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24 hours per day, seven days per week.