Emergency works underway to repair a gas leak in Rochdale town centre

Teams from local gas network Cadent are working to fix a leak identified on a gas pipe under a busy road in the centre of Rochdale.

They suspect the leak is coming from a small joint on the pipeline, at least two metres beneath St Mary’s Gate, at the junction with Newgate and College Road. 

The section of St Mary's Gate being worked on has been reduced to one lane of traffic in a southernly direction between Spotland Road and Newgate/College Road.

Everything is under control, with no gas near to buildings, but this still needs fixing as emergency works.

The challenge facing the Cadent engineers is to do this without completely closing the road.

By working to one side of the carriageway, largely out-of-sight in a deep, reinforced trench, they’ve been able to keep the roads open.

From this work area, cameras are being sent along the pipeline to survey and identify the source of the leak.

Specialist teams should arrive on-site next week to use the latest technology to coat the pipe with a sealant – with motorists continuing to travel above, unaware of what’s happening beneath.

This should stop the leak and, after thorough testing, allow the teams to move off-site.

“The leak is under control, but it couldn’t be in a more challenging place,” said Chris Campbell, Customer Operations Area Manager for Cadent.

“Our priority is keeping everyone safe, but we are also working very hard to keep traffic flowing as well as keep gas flowing into people’s homes.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience while we carry out this work, and know too that it’s causing traffic issues in the local area.

“We’ll have a much better idea next week how long this will take to complete.”

If you smell gas

If you smell gas during this work, nearby or anywhere, always ring the national gas emergency service immediately, day or night, on 0800 111 999. Do not delay, or assume it’s related to this work. It may not be and must be checked.