Northern Gas Networks (NGN), the gas distributor for the North of England, is carrying out essential work to ensure the continued safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire.

The ageing main on Huddersfield Road has undergone several recent emergency repairs, so has now been prioritised for replacement, to ensure a safe and reliable supply of gas to customers in Holmfirth.

The works will begin at junction of Huddersfield Road (A6024) and Victoria Street, and then progress along Huddersfield Road, finishing at the junction with School Street.

Work will also take place on Victoria Street itself, from the junction with Huddersfield Road down to the zebra crossing just before the street bears around to the left onto Town Gate.

The work will start on Monday 11 January 2021 and is expected to last for six weeks, finishing on 19 February. All the work has been planned in collaboration with Kirklees Council.

So that engineers can carry out the work safely and efficiently, and to protect the public, some traffic management measures will be put in place.

• From Monday 11 January for approximately two weeks, the existing three-way lights at the junction of Huddersfield Road and Victoria Street will be replaced with temporary lights. These will be manned daily between 7am and 7pm to help the traffic keep flowing. An extra NGN operative will be on site to ensure safe use of the pedestrian crossings and assist as a banksman for business deliveries. When we are a safe distance away from the junction, there will then be two-way temporary lights on Huddersfield Road for the remainder of the works.
• Also from 11 January, there will be work taking place on Victoria Street itself, with three-way traffic lights from the junction of Huddersfield Road down to the zebra crossing where Victoria Street bears left.
• A road closure will be in place at the junction of Huddersfield Road and Cooper Lane, also from Monday 11 January until 29 January. A full signed diversion will be in place for motorists. This diversion will be: the unaffected part of Cooper Lane, Binns Lane, Upperthong Lane and then onto Huddersfield Road, and the same in the opposite direction.
• A further road closure will be in place at the junction of Huddersfield Road and High Town Lane from the 25 January until the 12 February. There will still be access for traffic from Town Hall Street.

To ensure the safety of colleagues, customers and the community, the majority of the work is being carried out in the street, following Government guidelines for safe distance working wherever possible.

There will also be extra safety precautions in place for any work that does need to be done indoors: NGN engineers will wash their hands and use hand sanitiser before entering a property; they will maintain a two metre distance and ask customers to stay in another room while they work, and will wear a face mask and gloves.

Where customers are self-isolating, have symptoms or are at high clinical risk, our engineers will wear full PPE including coveralls and eye protection.

Chris Nevison, Business Operations Lead for Northern Gas Networks, said: “We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused during these essential works, however it is vital we complete them in order to continue to maintain a safe and reliable gas supply to the residents of Huddersfield Road, Holmfirth.

“We want to assure residents and road users that we will be working hard to complete this scheme as safely and as quickly as possible.”

As well as NGN’s critical service (which include responding to gas emergencies, carrying out emergency repairs and critical maintenance activities) engineers are carrying out work to upgrade critical infrastructure, including planned work to replace ageing metal gas pipes, where most of the work can be carried out safely in the street.

Engineers will only request entry to a customer’s property if it is absolutely necessary in order to ensure their safety, the continuity of a safe gas supply or at a customer’s request. Customers can read more about our Covid Secure Promise at here.

For further information about the work please contact NGN’s Customer Care Team on 0800 040 7766 or email: customercare@northerngas.co.uk.

Anyone that smells gas or suspects carbon monoxide should call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on 0800 111 999. This line is in operation 24-hours a day, seven days a week.