My heart goes out to all those who have been affected – this is a terrible thing to happen at any time, let alone weeks before the holiday season. In the coming days and weeks, I will be providing support in whatever way I can and have stationed a member of staff in Cadent’s emergency hub this week to action any casework arising from the incident. The hub is at Lomas Hall, Church St, Stannington, Sheffield S6 6DB.

If you have been affected, please visit the hub or contact Cadent’s dedicated line, which is 0800 917 9598. I will be posting regular updates on my social media, and Cadent are posting updates on their website, here: https://cadentgas.com/sheffield.

I am very concerned for older and more vulnerable members of our community. The Priority Services Register is designed to help those who have extra communication, access, or safety needs to gain equal access to utility supply services. If you –

• Have a chronic or serious illness;
• Are dependent on medical equipment including oxygen;
• Have poor mobility, reduced sight, hearing or sense of smell and/or speech difficulties;
• Are not able to communicate in English;
• Are of pensionable age or live with children under 5 years old who may benefit from additional support in the event of an interruption to your energy supply;

Please consider registering with the Priority Services Register here: https://cadentgas.com/help-advice/supporting-our-customers/priority-services-register

The Council has declared this a major incident. They have a representative at Lomas Hall to help coordinate with the teams on the ground, have increased the comms team available to support with advice and support for affected residents, and have redeploying staff to go door-to-door to support residents. If you are vulnerable, or know someone who is, and have not yet spoken to the Council please call their helpline at 0114 273 4567.

You should know, too, that Cadent are working with British Gas to do safety checks, fix appliances that have been damaged by the water, and get people back on gas.

Cadent has a statutory obligation to pay compensation to anyone who is without gas for more than 24hrs after the first complete 24hr period. Everyone who lost gas will receive a letter regarding compensation. Householders are entitled to £65 for every 24 hours they were off gas, while businesses will receive £105 per 24 hours off gas. This will be paid directly to them via their gas suppliers.

Compensation for the loss of your gas supply will be paid automatically to your gas supplier whose name will be at the top of your gas bill. Cadent must pay the compensation payments to the gas suppliers within 20 working days after the closure of the incident (about 4 weeks). How the payment is passed on to you will depend upon your gas supplier. Some may take it off your gas bill; others may send you a cheque. You will need to contact them for this information.

I held a meeting with the Association of British Insurers on Wednesday, who advised me that as water damage is a standard cover in most home insurance policies, residents should get in touch with their insurer in the first instance to discuss the support they require and any potential claims they need to make. Each policy is different and claims would be considered on a case-by-case basis based on the level of damage, so the earlier you can alert your insurer to the level of impact the better. I understand from the ABI that home insurers may provide alternative accommodation to residents were there is damage to a property or contents due to water entering the home through gas pipelines; but not where there has been no water damage

Over the coming days and months there will be lots of questions raised about how and why this incident occurred. Right now, agencies are rightly working hard to get peoples’ gas back on. However, I will be raising concerns of residents and questions about the incident to understand exactly what happened, and how.

Once again, my sympathies for what has happened. If you have any questions or require the support of my office, please do not hesitate to get in touch at olivia.blake.mp@parliament.uk.

If you are struggling and need support, please call the Council helpline at 0114 273 4567.