Devon school shuts as gas outage continues to affect thousands

A secondary school has closed due to a major gas outage affecting 4,600 properties.

More than 100 Wales and West Utilities engineers have been working to restore supplies in the Kingsbridge, Malborough and Salcombe area of the South Hams in Devon following damage to a mains pipe on Saturday.

Kingsbridge Community College said the school would be closed with lessons continuing online while the South Hams Minor Injury Unit had also shut.

Salcombe resident Carrington Marshall, who was catching a bus to Plymouth to spend the night with a friend, said older people in the block of flats he lives in were “suffering”.

“I’m not spending another cold evening in the flat,” he added.

Engineers from Wales and West Utilities began restoring supplies to the Malborough area on Sunday while work to restore supplies in Kingsbridge began on Monday.

The firm said the restoration of supplies in Malborough was completed on Monday afternoon.

It said: “The only properties remaining are those where there has been nobody at the property when we have called.

“We have tried these properties on a number of occasions and have left a card with information on how to contact us.”

The firm said it had “made good progress in Kingsbridge” with work continuing into Monday evening and resuming on Tuesday.

It said after a good response to a call for help accessing the “high number” of empty properties in Salcombe it was now “able to begin commissioning the gas network”.

Wales and West Utilities added: “We continue to appreciate everyone’s patience as we work to restore supplies and value people’s continued support in enabling us to gain access to their properties.”

Marshall, 66, said he was concerned about older people where he lives.

“I live in a block where there is 10 flats and all my neighbours are over 70,” he said.

“Some of them are actually 94 and in their 80s – they’re a bit confused and struggling.

“We also have gas cookers… so I can’t even cook a meal.

“This morning I just had a cup of tea.”

Kingsbridge resident Darcy O’Rourke, 36, said it has been “freezing at night”.

“[I’ve] been wrapping up in blankets and using my electric blanket to keep warm,” she said.

“I think everyone’s not impressed by this at all.”

Jackie Plyer lives in Kingsway Park in Kingsbridge and said on Monday afternoon her gas was reconnected.

She said it had been “extremely cold”.

“I’m very pleased to have my heating back,” Plyer said.

“Luckily, a friend bought me an overhead heated blanket so I’ve been sitting underneath that and then my electric blanket.”

Elderly pensioner Sue Ives has also had her heating restored and said Wales and West Utility had been “very good”.

The Mayor of Kingsbridge, Julia Wingate, said the cold weather “compounds the problem” and added electric heaters and cooking hot plates were being given out to people in the community.

She said the community had been “really caring”, which she said was “really important”.

“Even if you are all right and you are at home with with the heater, it’s still nice to see a friendly face at the door,” she said.

“If you are struggling, please call us and we will do our best to make sure you’re warm.”

Town clerk Katherine Harrod has been helping hand out heaters, hot plates and warm packs at Quay House in Kingsbridge.

She said: “We are doing everything as quickly as we can, working with all the different authorities and we think it’s going as well as it possibly can.

“Don’t sit there in the cold, please contact us… we can help.

“We are here all day and all week until this is sorted.”

Katie Douglas, owner of Fika Coffee Shop, said they were able to use the coffee machine and the electric hob to serve customers.

She said the business used aircon so was able to have the heater on, making it a nice and cosy space for the public.

Douglas added: “I’m happy to be at work today because I have no heating at home.”

Kingsbridge Community College said on Monday afternoon its gas had been restored and it would reopen as normal on Tuesday.

The University Hospital Plymouth NHS Trust said the South Hams Minor Injury Unit had temporarily closed due to the outage.

“We have taken the decision to close the minor injury unit at South Hams hospital until the situation is resolved,” it said.

“The temporary closure only affects the minor injury unit at the hospital, inpatient services at the hospital are running as normal.”

The trust said an alternative minor injury unit was available at Tavistock Hospital and its urgent treatment centres at Derriford Hospital and the Cumberland Centre in Plymouth.