Wales & West Utilities is starting its latest work to upgrade gas pipes in the Tavistock area.

The work, in the Parkwood Road area of town, starts tomorrow (22 May) and is essential to keep the gas flowing to heat homes and power businesses so that people are safe and warm for generations to come.

This £346,000 scheme will involve upgrading 1.7 kilometres of gas pipes and, barring any engineering difficulties, will be complete by 6 August.

In planning the work, Wales & West Utilities liaised with Devon County Council, and it has been agreed that manually controlled 2-way traffic lights will be used along Parkwood Road.

Wales & West Utilities Roxanne Whittaker is managing this gas pipe upgrade work. She said:

“While most of the gas network is underground and out of sight, it plays a central role in the daily lives of people across Tavistock. Whether it’s heating your home, making the family dinner or having a hot bath, we understand how important it is for your gas supply to be safe and reliable and there when you need it.

“This work is essential to keep the gas flowing to local homes and businesses today, and to make sure the gas network is ready to transport hydrogen and biomethane, so we can all play our part in a green future. 

“We will work as safely and as quickly as possible to finish the work, whilst keeping inconvenience to a minimum for local people and road users. Our engineers are following all hygiene and social distancing guidelines and we would respectfully ask that you keep a 2m distance if passing our work site.

“To support communities through Coronavirus, we’re working hard to keep the gas flowing so local people are safe and warm.”

Wales & West Utilities teams will follow clear guidelines to keep themselves and local people safe. This includes: 

  • Before entering customer’s homes, engineers will wash their hands with soap and water.
  • While in customer’s homes, they’ll wear face coverings and eye protection, and may ask anyone else in the house to stand in another room while they are working
  • When working in the street, they’ll social distance as far as possible, and would urge local people who may be passing to keep 2m away from work sites

Our Customer Service Team is ready to take your call if you have any questions about our work. You can contact them on freephone 0800 912 2999 or enquiries@wwwutilities.co.uk.

Alternatively, you can contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or Facebook.com/WWUtilities 

The company is also working in the Callington Road area of the town, investing £268,000 to upgrade over 1.3km of gas pipes.

Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, brings energy to 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales. If you smell gas, or suspect the presence of carbon monoxide, call us on 0800 111 999 straight away, and our engineers will be there to help any time of day or night. Before visiting, we'll ask you to let us know if you or anyone in your household, is experiencing Coronavirus symptoms or self-isolating. We'll still come and help you: but our teams will take some additional precautions to keep us all safe.