If you saw this in your road,what would you think..?

C_Mababejive

OK..so you become aware of a general hubbub and hullabaloo in your road. You peer out and you see a posse of chaps at about 11 o clock at night,getting soaked in the rain and jack hammering the road/digging a hole and there is a general smell of gas everywhere.

Do you..

A) Assume there is a gas emergency and let the chaps get on with it. They are the best people to deal with it and the work must be essential

B)Think that they must be a bunch of crazy people who have no lives,like working at midnight,digging holes in muddy roads whilst the rain bounces off their backs. They are doing it deliberately and you feel it your duty to go outside and remonstrate with them..telling them how all the noise is keeping you,your dogs and your kids awake..

Neil_Jones

Realistically if there is a major gas leak on the scale depicted in your post, I'd probably argue the entire street would have been evacuated long before anybody came to dig the road up.

jimjames

Was it you or one of your neighbours that did ?

undaunted

Obviously A is the sensible thing for any sane man / woman to do.

B however is far more fun :think:

grahamc2003

I hope the men had a good answer ready for B - like 'Would you prefer your kids to be awake now or never to wake again'.

esuhl

Is this a rhetorical question?

carefullycautious

Frost makes the ground harder, which in effect, cracks the gas pipes hence the gas smells.

Everytime they mend one pipe another goes. Our street has this happen regulary in fact we are on first name terms with the gas men
:rotfl:

lemontart

What the op is trying to illustrate is the National Grid or any other Gas Network. Water company or electricity distribution at times have to do things at what for many is an unsociable time the ensure the safety of all those around, there is no need to evacuate the street unless those doing the work feel the problem is a risk to safety in which case the Police become involved as well a local councils to deal with this properly.

They do not do this intentionality, they have not planned to disturb you but there is a requirement as laid down by HSE also I believe it may be in the Gas Act but would have to check that to make a situation safe asap regardless of time of day or weather conditions. Whilst they understand having your peace shattered by a big bloke with a spade jack hammer or other is not pleasant the alternative is of course a lot less pleasant for all not only you.

Once the leak is made safe any repairs will be carried out afterwards at more sociable hours for all but of course dependant upon where the leak is located this may well cause some disruption during the works, and patience would of course be appreciated as the work has to be carried out in such a manner that it is safe, that no other cables pipes etc that supply properties etc are disturbed and so on, repairs are not always straight forward with escapes outside for to many reasons that I do not wish to bore you with.

With regards to planning all emergency works that involve digging up get retrospective planning permission as you cannot leave something like a gas leak going whilst you wait for the red tape wheels to move.