Latest news with #CadentGas
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Energy firms pay £8m in penalties after attending some gas leaks late
Three gas distribution companies are paying a combined £8 million in penalties after failing to attend some gas emergency reports on time. Regulator Ofgem said Cadent Gas, Scotland Gas Networks and Southern Gas Networks have voluntarily agreed to pay the funds after missing their targets between 2022 and 2023. Ofgem's rules require companies which manage the gas network to attend reports of suspected gas leaks within one or two hours, depending on the incident, in 97% of cases. Southern Gas Networks will pay £5.8 million, Cadent will pay £1.5 million and Scotland Gas Networks will pay £700,000. The cash will go into Ofgem's voluntary redress fund, which provides money for projects that support vulnerable energy consumers. Cathryn Scott, director of market oversight and enforcement at Ofgem, said: 'The potential risk to households and businesses if gas leaks aren't investigated quickly is significant, so it's right that the companies involved have acknowledged the seriousness of missing these targets. 'We're confident the companies have improved their systems and processes to make sure this doesn't happen again and have demonstrated their commitment to this by meeting their targets in the two years since the breach.' Ofgem said it opened an investigation into the three companies after they self-reported missing their targets. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Guardian
7 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Three gas firms fined £8m by Ofgem for being too slow to attend leaks
The energy watchdog for Great Britain has fined three companies £8m for failing to respond to some gas leak emergencies quickly enough, potentially putting the public at 'serious risk'. Ofgem said the three firms – Cadent Gas, Scotland Gas Networks (SGN Scotland) and Southern Gas Networks (SGN Southern) – had agreed to pay the fine after missing callout targets that require them to attend suspected gas leaks within one to two hours in 97% of cases. An investigation by the regulator found that all three had fallen short of that target between 2022 and 2023. Ofgem said the fines would be paid into the regulator's voluntary redress fund 'in acknowledgment of the potentially serious risk to the public in failing to meet these targets'. Ofgem's director of market oversight and enforcement, Cathryn Scott, said: 'The potential risk to households and businesses if gas leaks aren't investigated quickly is significant, so it's right that the companies involved have acknowledged the seriousness of missing these targets.' Scott said the regulator was confident that all three companies had since improved their systems and processes to 'make sure this doesn't happen again,' and had met their targets in the two years since the breach. 'We take compliance with our rules incredibly seriously, and as demonstrated with this case, will not hesitate to take action when companies fail to meet their obligations across the board,' she added. SGN Southern has received the largest penalty, £5.8m, after falling short of targets by up to 5.1%. Cadent will shell out £1.5m for missing targets by up to 2.1%, while SGN Scotland will pay £700,000, for a 0.4% shortfall. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion The money from the redress scheme will be used to fund projects supporting energy customers, particularly those deemed to be vulnerable by the energy regulator.
The Independent
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Energy firms pay £8m in penalties after attending some gas leaks late
Three gas distribution companies are paying a combined £8 million in penalties after failing to attend some gas emergency reports on time. Regulator Ofgem said Cadent Gas, Scotland Gas Networks and Southern Gas Networks have voluntarily agreed to pay the funds after missing their targets between 2022 and 2023. Ofgem's rules require companies which manage the gas network to attend reports of suspected gas leaks within one or two hours, depending on the incident, in 97% of cases. Southern Gas Networks will pay £5.8 million, Cadent will pay £1.5 million and Scotland Gas Networks will pay £700,000. The cash will go into Ofgem's voluntary redress fund, which provides money for projects that support vulnerable energy consumers. Cathryn Scott, director of market oversight and enforcement at Ofgem, said: 'The potential risk to households and businesses if gas leaks aren't investigated quickly is significant, so it's right that the companies involved have acknowledged the seriousness of missing these targets. 'We're confident the companies have improved their systems and processes to make sure this doesn't happen again and have demonstrated their commitment to this by meeting their targets in the two years since the breach.' Ofgem said it opened an investigation into the three companies after they self-reported missing their targets.
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Three UK gas operators to pay $10.8 million over emergency response failures
May 30 (Reuters) - British energy regulator Ofgem on Friday said three gas operators have agreed to pay a combined 8 million pounds ($10.78 million) for failing to meet emergency response targets within required timescales. Cadent Gas Limited, Scotland Gas Networks Plc (SGN Scotland) and Southern Gas Networks Plc (SGN Southern) will make the payment to the regulator's Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Fund, which funds projects to support energy consumers. ($1 = 0.7422 pounds)
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Hammersmith bridge fiasco: Pedestrians now have to queue for 30 minutes to cross bridge
The Hammersmith bridge saga hit a new low on Tuesday morning when pedestrians had to queue for half an hour to cross the crisis-hit bridge. The Thames bridge, which links Hammersmith and Barnes, has been closed to vehicles since April 2019 and one MP warned recently it was unlikely to fully reopen until 2035 at the earliest. It has remained open to pedestrians and cyclists if they walk their bikes across the river. But on Tuesday morning one of the two footpaths on either side of the bridge was closed – creating a massive tailback of pedestrians trying to walk towards Hammersmith. Furious locals dubbed it a symbol of 'broken Britain' and said it was 'laughable if it wasn't so awful'. One said there was two-way pedestrian traffic on a 'super-narrow path at peak rush hour and people waiting half an hour to cross in dangerous conditions'. Kieren McCarthy, a journalist and policymaker who lives in Putney, posted a video on X showing people queuing to cross the bridge at 8.30am. He wrote: 'We've reached the point where we now have pedestrian traffic jams to go with the car traffic jams in Putney. Just not good enough.' He added: 'As far as I could make out, workers were occasionally going in and out of the central part of the bridge with equipment and stopping the flow of people each time. I didn't want to queue up for 30 mins just to find out.' We're reached the point where we now have pedestrian traffic jams to go with the car traffic jams in Putney. This is the scene at 8.30am on Hammersmith Bridge… #justnotgoodenough — Kieren McCarthy (@kieren) February 11, 2025 Putney has been one of the areas worst affected by the Hammersmith bridge closure, as many drivers divert via Putney bridge. The 138-year-old bridge has been closed to motor vehicles since cracks appeared in its pedestals in April 2019. Hammersmith and Fulham council, which owns the bridge, said in a statement: 'Please be aware that due to a leak in a Cadent Gas pipe running below Hammersmith Bridge, we have been forced to close one footway. 'At peak times there may be a delay in crossing on the other footway. We apologise for the inconvenience. Cadent Gas workers are on site working to repair the problem.' A council spokesman said at midday that the council as awaiting an update from Cadent on when the other footway could be reopened. The Labour-run council is understood to have so far spent about £45m over the last six years on works to restore and stabilise the bridge. The bridge's road surface is closed to enable the bridge to be re-decked. Once that process is complete, in the spring of this year, the council hopes to fully re-open the entire span of the bridge for pedestrians, cyclists and scooter riders. A Government taskforce charged with solving the funding crisis that has prevented the bridge from being reopened met last month for the first time in three years. The cost of fully repairing and reopening the bridge was estimated last year at £250m. It is unclear how long a full repair programme could take, though Putney MP Fleur Anderson told The Standard last month that it could potentially take until 2035 for the bridge to reopen. Under the last Government, it was proposed that the Department for Transport would pay a third of the total cost of repairs, with Transport for London paying another third. The final third would be picked up by the council. But the council says it will have to introduce a toll on the bridge to repay its share of the repair bill.
