Repair of gas leak on Littlemoor Road to take two more weeks

Engineers from SGN have been working around the clock to repair the leak on Littlemoor Road, Weymouth.

A 30-metre section of gas main, which the gas company said was damaged by a 'third party', could not be repaired and so needs to be replaced.

SGN has now said that they hope to complete the work by Friday, January 19.

The work to repair the leak has caused significant disruption as temporary traffic lights have been put in place around the work area - between Turnstone Close and Louviers Road.

Dashboard camera screenshot of the traffic caused by the gas leak this morning (Image: Hollie Carr)Dashcam screenshots of the traffic caused by the gas leak on Littlemoor Road, Weymouth (Image: Hollie Carr)

Residents reported smelling the gas shortly after Christmas.

These traffic lights are near where the three-way traffic lights were in place from November 24 to December 8 last year, which caused considerable disruption to residents as work was undergone to excavate a gas-connected system exit point for the new 500-home development.

A spokesperson for SGN said: "We’re carrying out emergency repairs to our gas network in Littlemoor Road, Weymouth.

"For safety, temporary two-way traffic lights are being put in place in Littlemoor Road, between its junctions with Louviers Road and Turnstone Close. The lights are needed so we can safely replace a section of our gas main.

"Our engineers are replacing a section of approximately 30m gas main that has been damaged by a third party. Following our initial investigation, repairing the gas main hasn’t been possible which means replacing the gas main is our only option. 

SGN has said that engineers will be on site 24 hours a day to manage the leak (Image: Cristiano Magaglio)

"The engineering work involved is challenging and the gas main we’re working on supplies gas to the wider area of Weymouth. The team will be keeping the gas flowing while they carry out the replacement, which means we have the added complication of needing to put in temporary bypass systems before our work can be completed.

"For everyone’s safety, we’ll need to use temporary traffic lights around our work area for the duration of our work.

"Engineers will be on-site working 24 hours a day to manage the gas leak. Due to the nature of our work, there may be a smell of gas in the local area. Our engineers will be monitoring this regularly to make sure readings remain at a safe level.

"All being well, we plan to have the work complete by Friday, January 19."