What to do in an emergency

Meter emergency? 0115 975 8258

If you have an emergency involving your gas or electricity meter, call our Customer Service team on 0115 975 8258.
Our Customer Service team is available Monday to Friday, 9am–5pm.

You should contact us if:

Your meter is hot, sparking or smoking, you can smell burning, or you’ve received an electric shock.
Your meter is damaged, you notice loose meter cables or wiring, or you suspect the meter has been tampered with.
Your meter screen is blank, and you have no gas supply.
An electrician, Gas Safe registered engineer or National Gas Emergency Service has advised you to contact us.

Outside our opening hours, or if there is an immediate danger to life, fire or serious injury, move to a safe place and call 999.
For a suspected gas leak, contact the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999, which is available 24 hours a day.

Electrical emergencies

Power Cut or Electrical Fault?
Call 105

Here’s what to do if you lose power or need to tell us about damaged power lines or underground cables.

In case of power loss, you should contact your Distribution Network Operator (DNO) to get the quickest solution.

Call 105 to be directed to your local electricity Distribution Network Operator.

Or enter your postcode on https://www.powercut105.com/en/ to get the direct contact details of your DNO.

This is a free service from most landlines and mobile phones in England, Scotland and Wales.

Please determine if you are in fact experiencing a power cut, or if the incident is an isolated electrical fault within your property.

CHECK – If your neighbours have power, check that your trip switches are on. Trips switches are designed to turn themselves off to interrupt the flow of electricity if a problem is detected with an electrical appliance. You can find your trip switches on your consumer unit or fuse box.

If your neighbours are also experiencing a loss of power, it’s likely that you are experiencing a power cut.

Why Do Power Cuts Happen?

Operators work hard to maintain nationwide electrical systems; however, unforeseen circumstances can sometimes lead to power cuts, also referred to as power outages.

Power cuts can happen for a variety of reasons:

Natural causes – e.g. fallen trees, or weather conditions such as high winds, lightning, or flooding causing damage to equipment.
Fires – which damage the equipment on the network or in substations
Human error – accidental damage to cables while undertaking building or maintenance work nearby.
Overloading – one of the most common causes of power cuts; if the demand for electricity exceeds the capacity of the power grid, this can cause an outage.
Maintenance – planned maintenance of power lines or equipment may require the electricity supply to be temporarily shut off for a short period of time. If this is the case, you should be notified in advance. These works are usually carried out at night when demand is lower.

How to Stay Safe During a Power Cut?

There are precautions you can take to help prepare in case of a power cut, for example:

For crucial medical equipment requiring electricity, please contact your DNO and request to be added to their priority register. You should also consider investing in a battery backup device.
Keep multiple torches along with extra batteries to hand.
Keep some charge on your mobile phone so you can make calls in case of emergencies (if you have a portable power bank, keep this charged too). It is also a good idea to ensure some mobile data is available if your Wi-Fi is unavailable.
Switch off appliances – turn off items such as irons, ovens, and anything electrical that is not designed to run unattended, to avoid the event of a power surge when the power comes back on.
Leave one light on – this way you will know when the power comes back on, rather than routinely trying your switches and putting strain on them.

Gas emergencies

Smell Gas or Need to Report a Gas Explosion or Fire? Call 0800 111 999

Stay calm, you’re in safe hands. Here’s what to do if you can smell gas or are concerned by any gas-safety related matter. Call the National Gas Service on 0800 111 999 immediately. There are a few measures that you can take to help the situation.

Do:

Turn off the gas supply at the valve unless the meter is in the basement or cellar
Extinguish all naked flames such as candles
If you smell gas, evacuate immediately
Ventilate rooms by opening all windows and doors

Don’t:

Turn on any electrical switches
Use any form of naked flame which could ignite the gas, such as: gas hob, smoking, striking any matches

The type of information that the emergency gas service may require will include:

Site address
How many people are at the site
Where you can smell the gas
Your name and contact number
Any other circumstances or access details to the site

For immediate emergencies please contact 999, however, 999 should ONLY be contacted if:

There’s an immediate danger
Someone needs immediate emergency care
A crime is taking place or about to happen

Non-Emergency Enquiries

Network Operators by area:

North East and North Yorkshire – Northern Gas Networks: 0800 040 7766, www.northerngasnetworks.co.uk, Twitter @NGNgas.
North West, Midlands, East of England and North London – Cadent: 0845 835 1111, www.cadentgas.com, Twitter @CadentGasLtd.
Scotland – SGN: 0800 912 1700, www.sgn.co.uk, Twitter @SGNgas.
South/South East of England – SGN: 0800 912 1700, www.sgn.co.uk, Twitter @SGNgas.
Wales and the West Country – Wales & West Utilities: 0800 912 2999, www.wwutilities.co.uk, Twitter @WWUtilities.

If your network is operated by an Independent Gas Transporter, for nonemergency enquiries please call GTC: 01359 240363 or visit www.gtc-uk.co.uk

Other Communications from National Grid GNCC (Gas National Control Centre):

Gas Emergency (Gas Deficit Emergency or a Critical Transportation Emergency)
Incidents i.e. Gas Explosion or Carbon Monoxide poisoning

Should you receive notification of either the above, the telephone numbers are:

+44 (0) 870 191 0644 or +44 (0) 1926 655 830

Any of the above should be escalated via SMS to +44 (0)7837 525615

Emergency Contacts