More than 900 Northwood customers have lost their LPG supply after the local reticulation network was damaged by a third party, with ELGAS warning it could take up to seven days to restore every property.

ELGAS said it became aware of the damage late on Thursday morning and was working with authorities to better understand how the incident occurred.

The company immediately responded and confirmed there was no risk to the public.

However, because of the damage and the need to safely begin repairs, ELGAS shut down the remainder of the Northwood network late on Thursday night.

The outage has affected 917 customers.

ELGAS said teams had been working on the ground since the incident was reported, with additional specialists being brought in to help complete the repairs and recommission the network.

Repairs to the damaged section were expected to be completed on Friday night, subject to any delays.

Once the repairs are finished, ELGAS staff will need to visit each of the 917 affected properties to ensure individual gas meters are isolated before the network can be repressurised.

Gas will then be reintroduced gradually, with teams testing the integrity of the network at each stage.

Once the network has been confirmed as safe, ELGAS will contact customers individually to remove the isolations and carry out the required recommissioning and relighting procedures.

“Having undertaken further inspections of the damage overnight, and with the complexity around the recommissioning process, we expect supply to begin returning to affected homes from Sunday, but it may take up to seven days to restore all homes,” a ELGAS spokesperson told chrislynchmedia.com.

Affected customers have been asked to switch off all LPG appliances and the meter supply valve outside their property.

They must not attempt to restart appliances or relight pilot lights until ELGAS has advised them it is safe to do so.

“The safety and wellbeing of the community, our customers and our employees is our first priority,” the company said.

ELGAS said customers would continue to receive updates as the restoration progressed, particularly about the recommissioning process.

Customers with concerns can contact ELGAS on 0800 435 427.