Gas service receives “larger than usual” number of calls about potential PR8 gas leak

25th February 2022

Gas engineers have been inundated with emergency calls today as with people reporting smelling natural gas in and around the town centre.

Cadent, the national gas emergency services, said it had received a “larger than usual” number of calls today from the PR8 postcode.

OTS understands the Edinburgh Woollen Mill on Lord Street was closed this morning after staff reported a strong smell of gas in the building.

Elsewhere the smell of gas was so strong that it could be detected as far as the Monument and London Street.

A spokesperson for Cadent told OTS News: “We have had a larger than usual number of calls today in the PR8 postcode area, about a smell that people were concerned is natural gas.

“We investigated each one and, as yet, have not found any evidence of an issue on the gas network that could have caused this.

“We do get incidents like this from time to time. In the past, we have traced it to things like factory discharges, aviation fuel, smells from docks activity, and many other reasons.

“Our concern in incidents like this is that, in amongst the smells that are not gas, there may be an isolated and unrelated real gas leak.

“That’s why it’s important to ring the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999 if you ever smell gas, suspect the presence of carbon monoxide or notice damage to gas pipes.