Works labelled a 'necessary evil' will close a major route through a Notts village where local residents say they 'smell gas on the roads'. Main Street in Burton Joyce will be closed between October 11 and December 9 to allow Cadent Gas to carry out the next stage of a upgrade of the village's gas pipes.
The route, which is used by many motorists cutting through the village to go elsewhere in Nottinghamshire, will be fully closed as part of works started in July. By the time the project is over 1,000 metres of gas main will have been replaced in order to keep the network safe and reliable.
Traffic will be diverted around the closure, which locals have labelled a 'necessary evil'. Jenna Jones, 34, a receptionist from Burton Joyce, said people could sometimes smell the gas from the old pipes.
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"It's [the closure of Main Street] likely to cause more than a little bit of trouble and disruption. The works are a necessary evil though, they just need to be finished, we've had it before.
"You can sometimes smell the gas on the roads. It was delayed before I think, but it had to be done - just to make people feel safe as well.
"I'm sure they [Cadent] are doing all they can, but they can only do so much. Hopefully it will be the last time."
Glenda Keeling, 64, a health care assistant from Burton Joyce, said: "It will disrupt anyone coming down here a bit, but we've had it before so it shouldn't be too much. It needs to be all sorted.
"It will be awkward if you were planning on driving to the shops. Maybe if you're going to the Co-op, doctors or chemists it could be difficult."
A notice attached to Main Street's bus stop next to Co-op states it is currently not in service due to the closure. The notice said the Pathfinder service 26 would return to the stop on November 1, with services being diverted via Nottingham Road in the meantime.
A Burton Joyce resident, who did not want to be named, added: "I'm sure people will moan about it, but it needs to be finished. I'm hoping this will be the last part of the works, because we've had a few."
Cadent has said the gas supply will be maintained to homes and businesses during this period. They have also said the replacement of metal pipes with plastic pipes will prepare the network for future hydrogen use.
A Cadent spokesperson said: "This is the continuation of a project we’ve been working on since July. You may know that, here at Cadent, we manage the underground gas network that helps heat homes and other properties in your area. We are upgrading the older pipes in that network, to keep everything safe and running reliably.
"Replacing metallic pipes with plastic ones – like we’re doing here – also helps us get the network ready for the arrival soon of hydrogen. This is a key part of local and national plans to reduce carbon emissions to ‘net zero’.
"In July, we began a project in Burton Joyce that will see us replace around 1,000 metres of gas main under Main Street. We’ve been doing that under a partial closure of the road until now and, from Monday, it will be a full road closure. Traffic will be guided to follow a short diversion (minutes).
"Gas always stays on with these jobs – we sometimes have to switch supply off to homes, if we need to connect them into the new main, but we give advance notice and ensure gas is back on the same day it goes off. All businesses remain open – we have been liaising with them to explain what is happening.
“If anyone smells gas, they should report that immediately to the national gas emergency number on 0800 111 999. Please do not dismiss it as being related to our works. It may not be and needs to be checked out.”
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