Thousands of people living in North London could be without gas for up to a week amid ongoing issues linked to flooded pipes.
More than 3,000 households and buildings in the Muswell Hill area could be forced to wait until next week for the issue to be fixed, while workers try to access every property impacted.
It comes as some households enter a fourth day without heating or hot water after a water main burst and flooded local gas pipes on Sunday.
Local residents have also voiced their frustration with the council’s response, with some saying that not enough is being done to support residents struggling with the cold.
Ethel Rosenberg, a resident living adjacent to where the pipes burst, told The Standard: “It's really cold.”
“I don't feel Barnet Council offering a limited number of showers 2 miles from here is adequate frankly. I feel let down. They say it will not be fixed until Monday!”
A chef at a local school also said the incident was impacting school meals: “It's difficult to plan. I'm liaising with a friend in another school to have warm food sent in. We in the school don't feel very assured that the local authority or the gas company are doing the best they can to help.”
Though the water pipe has since been fixed, a mammoth task is now underway to turn off all gas supplies in order to then pump the water out of the gas pipes. Engineers also need to check in case water has entered any household appliances.
Despite up to 100 engineers on site working to fix the issue, Barnet Council revealed on Wednesday that it could take up to a week to fully restore gas to the area.
“Cadent, the gas supplier, has warned it will take at least a week for gas to be restored,” a council update stated.
“Cadent’s engineers need to access every property to turn off the gas supply before they can start pumping out the water from the gas mains. Engineers will need to return to each property to switch on the gas once the water has been pumped out.”
On Wednesday morning, Cadent also confirmed that their teams had visited every house impacted at least once and will continue to make return visits to homes they were unable to access. However, they also stated that it won’t be a quick fix.
“We want to be realistic with you – this remains a big job, and it will take considerable time. We will keep you updated,” Cadent Gas said. “Our teams are working hard to resolve this as quickly as possible, but with safety front of our minds, as well as making sure we do not do anything that may cause issues later.”
To help local residents navigate the next few days, a customer support team had been set up at the Freehold Community Centre and vulnerable residents are receiving daily community visits.
Barnet Council also revealed that Finchley Lido is open during working hours for impacted households to use their shower facilities.
Impacted residents that require further assistance are being advised to contact Cadent Gas, who is coordinating the emergency respoinse, on: 0800 389 8000
