Water enters gas network in N10 London, cutting gas supplies

Cadent Gas Ltd was called to an incident in the N10 area of London on Sunday 12 January 2025, covering Muswell Hill, Hornsey and Colney Hatch, after water entered its gas network and blocked the flow of gas into local properties¹. The company said its priority was restoring supply as quickly and safely as possible, and that Cadent and Affinity Water teams worked together on the response¹.

The scale of the water ingress was set out in Cadent's own updates. By 27 January, over 63,000 litres of water had been pumped out of the network, which the company said demonstrated the scale of the challenge¹. Earlier updates recorded 54,000 litres pumped out by 24 January, and around 20,000 litres in the first days after the incident¹. Cadent split the affected area into a "West" zone and an "East" zone because of its size, and worked through 15 phases¹.

Progress was reported in stages: 10% of properties back on gas at lunchtime on one day, more than two thirds by 24 January, nearly three-quarters by 6pm that evening, and around 95% reconnected by 26 January¹. On 27 January Cadent said all properties had been visited and gas had been got to the meter at all affected properties, with all 15 phases recommissioned¹. A small number of properties could not be accessed for safety checks, and Cadent left "Contact Us" cards for those households¹.

"We have decided on this occasion, we will pay compensation directly to each affected bill payer once their gas supply has been restored."

Compensation is being paid directly to the gas bill payer rather than to their supplier, and affected customers were written to with details¹. The compensation form had to be completed by Monday 10 February 2025 to receive a direct payment¹. Cadent said the compensation period runs for every 24 hours without gas from 12 January, after the first 24 hours, and ends when gas reaches the meter rather than when appliances are reconnected¹. Affinity Water is handling appliance problems where water entered internal gas pipes, arranging Gas Safe registered engineers on 0345 357 2407, option 1¹.

Why it matters for households

A water leak on a neighbouring water main can reach a gas network through a damaged gas pipe, and water in the pipes blocks the gas that would otherwise reach a meter. For a household, that means no gas for heating, hot water or cooking until engineers find and clear the water, which in this incident took more than two weeks for some properties. The gas distribution network that serves a street determines who responds; Cadent covers this part of north London, and the SGN versus Cadent comparison sets out how the two network areas differ. Reconnection is not a household task: Cadent stated repeatedly that supply must be turned back on by its engineers, who also check pipes are clear of water and appliances are sound¹. Compensation here was paid per 24 hours without gas, but stopped at the meter rather than at the appliance, so a household that was out when engineers called could lose both the reconnection visit and further payment for that period¹.

What happens next

Cadent said engineers would remain on site for the rest of the week after 27 January to clear and tidy excavation sites used to pump water out of the gas pipes¹. Households still off gas were asked to call 0800 111 999 and ask for a purge and relight for the N10 incident to arrange a visit¹. The customer team left the Freehold Community Centre after 7pm on 27 January, with queries directed to Cadent's email and the 0800 389 8000 line, open 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday¹. The compensation form deadline was Monday 10 February 2025¹. Affinity Water repaired its broken water pipe and Cadent repaired its damaged gas pipe to stop further water entering the network¹. No total number of affected properties has been reported.

Sources1 cited

1. Water in gas pipes - N10 - Cadent Gas Ltd, cadentgas.com