Latest news with #Wales&WestUtilities
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Major Exmouth gas network upgrade making 'good progress'
A major gas network upgrade is moving forward on schedule. The £552,000 investment project is being delivered by Wales & West Utilities in the Salterton Road area of Exmouth to ensure the safe and reliable delivery of gas to homes and businesses now and for years to come. The work, which began in February, involves upgrading ageing gas pipes as part of a wider programme to modernise the network. Roxanne Whittaker from Wales & West Utilities said: "We are making good progress with this project and, barring any engineering difficulties, we are on track to finish during November. "We know that working in areas like this is not ideal, but it is essential to make sure we keep the gas flowing to homes and businesses in the area, and to make sure the gas network is fit for the future. "While most of the gas network is underground and out of sight, it plays a central role in the daily lives of people across the area. "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." Wales & West Utilities has worked closely with Devon County Council to coordinate the project and manage traffic disruption. Current traffic measures include a road closure on the Salterton Road service road until Thursday, June 20, and a parking suspension on Salterton Road, also in place until June 20. Chapel Lane will be closed from Sunday, June 23, until the end of August, with residents being notified directly about access arrangements. Anyone with questions about the work can contact the company's customer service team on 0800 912 2999, or reach out via X (formerly Twitter) @WWUtilities or on Facebook at Wales & West Utilities serves around 7.5 million people across the South West of England and Wales.
South Wales Argus
21-05-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Gas emergency and pipeline service in Newport wins award
Wales & West Utilities, which looks after the gas network for Wales and the south west of England, was announced as the winner of the Investment in People category at the 2025 Institution of Gas Engineers and Managers (IGEM) Gas Industry Awards. The company was praised for its "pioneering financial benefits and wellbeing support" provided to its workforce of more than 2,000 colleagues. Judges commended the firm for responding to employee feedback and launching a financial and wellbeing initiative centred around colleague needs. The initiative allows employees to have autonomy over financial benefits, based on their individual priorities. Bethan Jones, head of people and engagement, said: "Being hailed the winner in the Investment in People category in these awards is fantastic, and it's great that IGEM has recognised the work that we are undertaking to ensure our colleagues are at the heart of our operations. "As a team we are dedicated to the very best HR and people practices, and to be recognised alongside other industry leaders is an honour." Wales & West Utilities was also a finalist in three other award categories: Large Company of the Year (Over 250 Employees), Customer Service, and Engineer of the Year. The company brings energy to 7.5 million people across the south west of England and Wales.
Wales Online
15-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
'It's hard to find the right words' says business owner forced to give up 'dream' after fresh blow
'It's hard to find the right words' says business owner forced to give up 'dream' after fresh blow The independent street food business has closed its doors after trading for over a decade, blaming the economy and one final straw Lilo's closed over the Easter bank holiday after roadworks disrupted its trade (Image: Lilo's ) An independent pasta takeaway business running for over a decade has been forced to close permanently with the business owner citing the economy and its impact on small business as the reason. Chloe Evans, who owns Lilo's, said the economy was "so bad" at the moment for small businesses that she feared she was just one of "many that will start closing its doors." On top of already rising costs, Chloe said a road closure for non-emergency gas works that forced her to shut her business over the Easter bank holiday, one of her "busiest times of the year", was the final straw. Lilo's was based on The Square in Pencoed, Bridgend, and Chloe claimed a road closure by Wales & West Utilities over the Easter bank holiday, from Friday, April 18, to Monday, April 21, meant she had to close her business. Chloe said she lost around £4,000 as a result of the road closure. She felt the decision to do the non-emergency works during a busy trading period showed a "lack of consideration" for smaller businesses. Wales & West Utilities said it worked closely with Bridgend Council to ensure the works were happening at a suitable time and apologised for any inconvenience caused. Article continues below She claimed: " It was just annoying. It was planned works so it didn't make sense why they would disrupt a business's trade over the busiest bank holiday that I have." She felt they had no consideration for her and it didn't seem fair what they were doing. Chloe added that it was frustrating not to be contacted by Wales & West Utilities directly ahead of the closure. Instead, she claimed she found out via a note stuck on a lamppost. Stay informed on Bridgend news by signing up to our newsletter here On Friday, April 18, Chloe opened the shop as usual but due to the road being completely shut to all traffic meaning there was little passing trade, she made the decision to shut at midday. "By that time, we'd taken such little money, we made the decision to close. If the day had continued like that, I wasn't going to be able to cover the staff wages, let alone the rent or food bills." Chloe set up Lilo's in her final year of university (Image: Lilo's ) "Delivery drivers assigned themselves to our order and then obviously saw the roadworks and declined it, so we were left with orders that couldn't go out too." Adding to her frustration was the fact that her decision to close was made partly on reassurances she claimed to have received from the Wales and West Utilities workers that she would be able to claim back some of the money she'd lost after closing. Instead, most of her weekend was spent trying to speak to someone from Wales & West Utilities before she re-opened. She said: "It was so disappointing as it's one of our busiest bank holidays because a lot of people are off so we're usually flat out. The last couple of months have been the busiest we've ever been. We recently had a video go viral on TikTok so a lot of people were planning to come that weekend and were obviously disappointed, so we lost that opportunity for new people to try us." Chloe was also frustrated that there appeared to her to be no signs to advertise that businesses were still open, although Wales and West Utilities disputed this, saying there were signs present. Eventually, after the road fully re-opened on Tuesday, April 22, Chloe spoke to someone from Wales & West and was told that there was a form she could fill out to receive compensation. After filling out the form, Wales & West wanted financial breakdowns of the business for the last three years. Chloe was happy to provide this, but wanted to check she was eligible for any compensation before sending hours filling the form out. When speaking to a manager, she was told that she wasn't eligible for any compensation as she hadn't been closed for 28 days. "I did get quite angry and was a bit upset because I think it's ridiculous," Chloe said. " My staff lost work that weekend as well so they're out of pocket too - it's not just me as the owner of an independent and small business. It seems that unless you're somebody like McDonald's or have a chain and can be a bit of a bully in the business world, you're treated about like small fry - they don't care about you, they don't worry about you. "Their last year of accounts showed they (Wales and West Utilities) made £263m in profits, the £4,000 it cost me to close is small fry to them." This forced closure was one final factor which led Chloe to decide to shut Lilo's doors for good on May 3. Announcing the news on her social media she said: "It's hard to find the right words for this post. After 11 wonderful, challenging, and unforgettable years I've made the incredibly difficult decision to close the doors on Lilo's. "What started as a dream in a little street food camper van grew into something I could never have imagined—thanks to you. Your loyalty, smiles, and support has kept me going through highs and lows, and I am endlessly grateful. "This business has been built on passion and hard work. I've poured everything into every dish and every detail. But after 11 years, it's time for a new chapter. "Closing wasn't an easy decision, but it feels like the right time. I'm incredibly proud of what I've created and beyond grateful for everyone who supported me—whether you came in once or a hundred times, shared one of our posts or gave us a follow. "Thank you for being part of my journey. Thank you for loving what I've made. And thank you for supporting Lilo's." Chloe set up Lilo's 11 years ago when she was in her final year of university. The business started in a little street food camper van and grew to have two physical premises - one in Pencoed and another in Cardiff, which shut in November, again due to rising costs. " The challenges at the moment with rising NI and staff wages, as well as food costs, are really hard. "I looked at the figures and I realised that I'd have to charge at least a pound more per meal to actually cover these costs. It's just not fair to pass that on to the customer all the time. I've absorbed the costs myself over the last couple of years, but I can't anymore, and by increasing your cost you're pricing yourself out of the market as the big chains can afford to absorb most of the costs themselves. "The economy at the moment is really bad. And I do fear that, you know, I'm just the first of many to start closing my doors." Wales & West Utilities manager for Pencoed, Ian Humphries said: "We have been working in the Hendre Road area of Pencoed to connect new properties to the gas network. "We worked closely with Network Rail and Bridgend County Borough Council when planning this complex work. Due to the close proximity of a rail crossing and in order to keep the public, road users and our colleagues safe while we worked, a small road closure along Hendre Road was necessary. With the road being a busy bus and commuter route, we agreed with the council to carry out the work during the Easter holidays as the best possible option to minimise disruption. Article continues below "We are sorry for the disruption our work may have caused. We took account of the impact the works would have locally and during the work, a short diversion route was clearly signposted. All footpaths remained open while we worked and signs were put in place informing local people that businesses were open as usual. "We worked as quickly and safely as possible and our planning allowed for the work to be successfully completed between Sunday, April 18, and Monday, April 21, when the road was re-opened."
Leader Live
25-04-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Mold: Over three-weeks of roadworks scheduled for A541
Work to upgrade part of the gas network on the A541 Chester Road area of the town will get underway on May 2, and barring any engineering difficulties, will be completed by May 27. The stretch of road where the works will take place (Image: Google Maps) Wales & West Utilities are leading the project to ensure the gas can flow safely and reliably to local homes and businesses. MORE NEWS A stretch of the road will be closed between the Tesco junction and the Ffordd Pentre junction, with temporary lights to manage traffic flow in the area. The maintenance will involve replacing 8.7M of old metallic gas mains with 8.6M of new plastic mains, and transferring service pipes to adjacent premises. Wales & West welcome any queries related to the works. Call freephone 0800 912 2999, or contact us on Twitter @WWUtilities or
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Road shut after resurfacing work causes gas leak
A road has closed and traffic is being diverted after a gas main was damaged during road resurfacing works. George Street in Nailsworth, Stroud, has been shut since Monday after the gas leak was detected. Engineers were sent out to investigate and stop the leak overnight. Andew Wilding, Wales & West Utilities operations manager for Stroud, said: "In order to keep the local community, road users and our colleagues safe, we will keep the council's road closure along George Street in place while we work." More news stories for Gloucestershire Listen to the latest news for Gloucestershire Follow BBC Gloucestershire on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Wales & West Utilities
