What to do in an emergency
Can you smell gas? Feeling ill – Headaches? Nausea? Dizziness?
If a gas appliance has been badly fitted or poorly serviced, there’s a risk of gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Here’s what to do if you smell gas or if you’ve been feeling unwell and experiencing headaches, nausea or dizziness and suspect it’s CO poisoning.
Article sections
Act fast
It’s crucial to act quickly in a gas emergency. These are the steps you need to take to stay safe:
- Turn off the gas emergency control valve (also called gas emergency shut off valve) at the meter, unless the meter is located in a basement or cellar or at the LPG bulk tank or storage vessels
- Extinguish all naked flames and don’t smoke
- Don’t operate electrical switches (including turning light switches on or off) because this can ignite escaping gas
- Get fresh air immediately; make sure you open all doors and windows to ventilate the area
- Contact the relevant National Gas Emergency service number. We’ve listed these numbers in the next section
- If the attending emergency operative identifies an issue with any gas appliances, follow their advice concerning the use of the equipment. Where advised, contact a Gas Safe registered engineer to fix the appliance and check it’s safe.
- If you’re feeling unwell, visit your GP or hospital immediately and let them know you may have been exposed to carbon monoxide
- Don’t turn the gas supply on again until it’s been checked by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
Who to call in a gas emergency
If you smell gas and require gas emergency services, there’s a free, 24-hour National Gas Emergency Helpline you can call.
The gas emergency number you need depends on where you’re based and the type of gas that’s involved:
| Country | Natural Gas (NG) | Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) | Towns Gas/Mains Gas** |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales and Scotland | 0800 111 999 | Contact number on bulk storage vessel or meter* | N/A |
| Northern Ireland | 0800 002 001 | Contact number on bulk storage vessel or meter* | N/A |
| Isle of Man | 0808 1624 444 | 0808 1624 444 | 0808 1624 444 |
| Guernsey | N/A | 01481 749000 | 01481 749000 |
| Jersey | N/A | 01534 755555 | 01534 755555 |
*This applies for bulk and metered supplies. For cylinder supplies, please check your local telephone directory for contact details. On caravan sites and boats, the site owner or boat operator may also have gas safety responsibilities.
**Guernsey and Jersey use a manufactured LPG/air mixture that’s commonly known as ‘mains gas’ and supplied from an underground main system. The Isle of Man has a similar system known as ‘towns gas’, but many of the installations on this system are being converted to burn natural gas.
