If barriers, an excavator and a SAUK crew have appeared outside your house, this page is for you — what we're doing, what it means for your gas supply, and who to call about what.
We work for Cadent, the company that owns and runs the gas network in your area. Across the country, gas mains laid decades ago — many of them cast iron — are being replaced with tough polyethylene pipe, street by street.
That's the work you can see through the barriers. The new plastic main is designed for an 80-year life, so once your street is done, it's done for a generation. You'll normally have had a letter from Cadent before we arrive, and our team will knock before any work that affects your home directly.
Most of the disruption is on the street, not in your home. Here's how a typical mains replacement goes from your side of the fence.
Cadent writes to your street ahead of the programme. Barriers, signage and any parking restrictions go in first — that's us setting up a safe site, not lost time.
Letter from CadentWe dig, lay the new main, and connect each home to it. The crew works Monday to Saturday in normal hours. Access to your drive is kept open wherever possible — if it can't be, we'll speak to you first.
Mon–Sat, daytimeOn the day your home is switched to the new main, the gas is off for a few hours. An engineer will knock, do the transfer, then relight your appliances and check everything before leaving.
Off for hours, not daysRoads, pavements and drives are permanently reinstated to the national specification — and covered by a two-year defect period. If something sinks or cracks after we've gone, we come back and put it right.
Two-year coverCadent publishes a live map of current and planned work across its network — searchable by postcode, with dates. If you want to know when a scheme reaches your street, that's the place to look.
Three different things, three different numbers.
Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999 straight away — free, 24 hours a day, every day. Don't wait for our crew, even if we're on your street.
Emergency · 24/7Reinstatement, access to your drive, damage you think we've caused, or anything about how our site is being run — call our office on +44 114 349 5201 or use the contact page.
SAUK office · Mon–SatYour gas bill and meter belong to your energy supplier. Questions about the wider upgrade programme, compensation or being off supply go to Cadent.
Supplier or Cadent