Upgrade work in Newcastle city centre

We always aim to keep businesses, customers, motorists and the media updated on any major planned work in their area. We send letters to people whose homes are affected, and door knock every property. Sometimes we organise community drop in events for customers and the wider community to ask any questions and discuss the project in more detail.  We use clever technology such as underground cameras to assess the condition of pipes, prioritise work and keep digging to a minimum whenever we can, but it isn’t always possible.  

Some on street parking may be restricted, but you’ll be able to access your garage or driveway at all times unless previously agreed with you. We may take up a bit of road space or on the verge as a site storage area for our equipment, and we’ll restore any areas that we’ve disturbed as quickly as possible after the project is finished. 

The last thing we want to do is cause any unnecessary stress, so call our Customer Care team on 0800 040 7766 or speak to one of our engineers on site and we’ll try our best to put special arrangements in place for you. 

We have a commitment to fill holes and restore areas of tarmac, paving or grass we’ve disturbed, matching it as close as we can to the original.  New surfaces may take a while to blend with older, more weathered areas, so please bear this in mind.  We’ll aim to have everything back to normal within five working days of your gas going back on. If you have a path or driveway made of specialist or hard-to-source materials, such as printed concrete, this may take slightly longer.  

The work we do is important to keep your gas supply flowing and communities safe.  We will work hard to try and keep the impact on your trade as small as possible.

If your business relies on customers visiting the affected premises to trade, and you’ve lost money as a result of our work, you may be able to claim compensation. 

All loss of business claims will be dealt with in accordance with the Gas (Street Works) (Compensation of Small Businesses) Regulations 1996.

Visit northerngasnetworks.co.uk/getintouch to find out more and how to claim. 

Sometimes we need to use temporary traffic lights, divert local bus routes or close a road to keep the public and our engineers safe while we’re working. We’ll always let you know well in advance if this is the case.

Compensation will be paid to eligible customers at £60 per property for every 24 hours without gas in the network.  Payments will be calculated and made automatically through your gas supplier and will appear on your energy bill. 

Customers on a fixed deal won’t see a change to their tariff or unit rate until their deal comes to an end, unless their supplier ceases trading. 

If your supplier goes out of business your new supplier will put you on a new tariff which might be more expensive than your old one. 

You can switch if you’re not happy with your new supplier or tariff. You can do this without paying an exit fee.  However, because many energy suppliers are struggling, you won’t find as many tariffs as normal. 

Other customers who may see an immediate increase to the unit rate are those whose fixed rate tariff is now coming to an end as they will have to find a new deal – many of which are much higher than in previous months. 

Making simple changes to your home to make it more energy efficient can save hundreds of pounds on your energy bills every year whilst helping the environment.  Our guide to saving money, reducing waste and staying safe at home is packed full of helpful advice and tips about how to save money on your gas, electricity and water bills whilst helping the environment. You can download it from our website.  Just search ‘Energy at Home’ 

If you smell gas then call the National Gas Emergency Service immediately on:
0800 111 999 

• Open doors and windows 
• Turn off gas at meter (unless the meter is in a cellar or basement) 
• Don’t use electric switches or naked flames 

All calls to the National Gas Emergency Service and National Enquiry lines may be recorded and monitored. 

The customer support centre at the Styan Centre in Grantley Drive, HG3 2XU, has now closed, however Northern Gas Networks engineers are still on site, supporting people in switching on their gas and will be visiting everyone to make sure they are safely reconnected to the supply. 

Northern Gas Networks provided customers with electric heaters and hot plates and food vouchers to redeem at local takeaways and a food van on site while they were without gas.