Hundreds of homes in Stanley, County Durham have been without heating or hot water since Friday afternoon.
This is due to a burst water main leading to water entering the gas network. Northern Gas Networks and Northumbrian Water have been working together to solve the issue.
The burst main was in Kielder Drive. Though water supply was not affected, the water entered the gas main and led to heating and hot water outages which have affected Kielder Drive, Wooler Drive, Dalby Way and Holly Hill Gardens West in the town.
Northumbria Water said it has resolved its part of the repair, and is now supporting NGN with its work. A customer drop-in centre has been set up at St Mary's RC Primary School, in Tyne Road East, to support those affected.
NGN incident controller Warren Iveson said: "NGN Customer Care team are at the drop-in centre offering support and answering questions along with providing heaters and hot plates for vulnerable customers. Engineers are working hard to resolve the issue as soon as possible and we thank customers for their continued patience."
An NGN spokesperson said that now the water board had repaired the water main, teams were "working on the process of removing the water from the gas network using specialist technology". They said engineers were working "as safely and as quickly as we can".
NGN said that food vouchers for Prime Pizza in Annfield Plain, heaters and hot plates were available from the drop-in centre at St Mary's Primary.
A spokesperson for Northumbrian Water said: “Yesterday we received reports of a burst on a four-inch water main on Kielder Drive, Stanley, County Durham. Our teams attended quickly and carried out a repair on the main.
"Although the burst did not impact the supply of water to customers, water from the burst has ingressed into a nearby gas main. Customers can be assured we are working closely with Northern Gas Networks to resolve the issue. We apologise to any customers impacted by this."
Craghead Village Hall - which is a dedicated Warm Hub - is also open to support those affected. Hot food and drinks are available. Any customers requiring additional support can contact the NGN Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 option 3.
NGN also highlighted that anyone who smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. This line is in operational 24/7.
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