Search for
Search for
Search forGasworkmen blamed for South Norwood evacuation
Friday, August 15, 2008, 17:32
More than 30 homes in Whitehorse Lane, South Norwood, were emptied after residents reported hearing a large popping sound and a smell of gas coming from roadworks in the street.
No gas leak was discovered, but emergency services did find damaged electrical cables close to gas pipes, so threw a 200 metre cordon around the area.
Now, Croydon Council and EDF Energy have laid the blame for last Friday afternoon's drama squarely at the foot of Southern Gas' contractors Morrison plc – although the company denies it was at fault.
David Tomlinson, Croydon Council's traffic management adviser, said electrical cables next to the gas main had arched, leading emergency services to fear the gas mains would be pierced.
He said: "Evacuating the area was a precautionary measure."
Mr Tomlinson claimed "unsatisfactory" preparatory work by Southern Gas caused the cables to arch because of insufficient protection from recent rainfall.
A spokeswoman for EDF Energy, which owns the electricity cables, also said the contractors were to blame.
She said: "Our engineers were called out by the fire service to isolate supplies after a third party contractor damaged one of our underground electricity cables."
Southern Gas has been working on improving the gas mains in the street for the past eight weeks.
A spokeswoman said its engineers were not present at the time of the incident and denied any wrong doing.
She said: "Every effort and every care is taken to ensure the safety of the public when we are working on installing new pipes.
"As far as we are concerned the problem is not something we have caused."
Whoever is to blame for the incident, the evacuation has been praised by residents in Whitehorse Lane.
Karen Blackburn, one of those evacuated, said: "The ambulances took us to a shelter on Whitehorse Road and the Red Cross and police officers could not have treated us any better.
"They gave us hot drinks and bought us fish and chips. It was fantastic – I even have a Red Cross blanket as a souvenir!"
Despite the disruption, Mrs Blackburn says the community is stronger for the experience.
She said: "While we were waiting to be let back into our house we got talking to neighbours we had never even met. There was a great feeling of togetherness and community spirit."
However, not everyone was happy. Glandeen Smith, of Whitehorse Lane, said: "I had spent the afternoon enjoying the Olympic opening ceremony and I didn't get to see the lighting of the torch."
EVACUATION: More than 30 homes had to be abandoned while emergency services secured the area
Pic by David Berman
Be the first to comment