What to do if you smell gas

What to do now

Call 0800 111 999 at once. This is the National Gas Emergency Service for England, Scotland and Wales. The call is free, day and night.

Follow the steps below. Then follow what the call handler tells you. An emergency engineer will come to make the gas safe.

• Open doors and windows to let the gas out.
• Do not switch lights or any electrical switches on or off.
• Do not smoke, light matches or use any naked flame.
• Turn off the gas at the emergency control valve by the meter, if you can reach it safely.
• Do not go into a cellar or basement to reach the meter. Wait outside or with a neighbour.
• If you feel dizzy, sick or have a headache, leave the property and go into fresh air. Get medical help.
• Call 0800 111 999 and tell them where you are.

If you use LPG, not mains gas

Many Cotswold homes use LPG from a tank or cylinders. If you smell LPG, take the same safety steps. Then call the emergency number on your bulk tank or meter.

Gas Safe Register's advice to turn off the gas at the meter does not apply at an LPG bulk tank. Follow the advice of your supplier's emergency line.

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas with no smell. A badly working gas, oil or solid fuel appliance can make it. Signs include headaches, dizziness, sickness and tiredness that ease when you go outside.

If your carbon monoxide alarm sounds or you have these signs, turn off the appliance if you can. Open doors and windows and leave the property. Call 0800 111 999, and get medical help.

Fit a carbon monoxide alarm in each room with a fuel-burning appliance. Since 1 October 2022, the Building Regulations require one when a new or replacement boiler or stove goes in.

After the emergency

The emergency engineer makes the gas safe. They may cap off a faulty appliance or the supply. They do not repair your appliances.

Do not turn the gas back on until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it. By law, it is illegal to use a gas appliance that you think is unsafe.

To find an engineer for the repair, check the Gas Safe Register. Our listings show which local firms we found on the register, with the date we checked.

How to prevent a gas leak

To prevent a leak, have your gas appliances checked once a year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Other steps are below.

• Have the boiler, fire and cooker serviced as the maker says.
• Look for warning signs: a lazy yellow or orange flame, soot or black marks, or extra condensation.
• Keep air vents clear, and never block a flue.
• Never let anyone who is not Gas Safe registered work on gas.

Questions

Sources