VILLIERS PRESSES FOR COMPENSATION FOR RESIDENTS AFFECTED BY EAST BARNET GAS CRISIS

Following the recent disruption to gas services in East Barnet, which left many households without services over the Christmas period, Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, is pressing Veolia Water and National Grid for compensation for those residents who were affected by the disruption.

Around 1500 residents of East Barnet first lost their gas supplies on the Sunday before Christmas, when a burst water main flooded gas pipes in the York Road area. The situation worsened when fan heaters and electric cooking rings, given out by National Grid, overloaded the system and left a number of streets without electricity.

The situation fluctuated with the number of households affected being brought down to around 150 on Christmas Day, only to rise again to several hundred on Boxing Day when many people lost their supplies because of further water leakage into the gas system.

Virtually all households in East Barnet have now been reconnected with only a few still affected where it has not been possible to gain access because the residents are away.

Theresa said, “It is now a high priority for me to seek compensation for my constituents. I understand that Veolia have promised to compensate people for the damage to their boilers and other gas appliances caused by this incident.”

“I am also pressing Veolia and National Grid to increase the level of general compensation to be given to residents affected by the crisis. I understand £30 per day has been offered and that those without power on Christmas Day and Boxing Day will receive £200 in total for the two days. National Grid will be writing to residents shortly to confirm details.”

“Both National Grid and Veolia must also give clear answers to my constituents about the extra electricity costs that have resulted from additional heaters and cooking rings needed because of the crisis.”

“Although more or less everyone is East Barnet has now been reconnected, I have been warned that the impact of the water leak may still cause problems over the coming months. I shall continue to work closely with Veolia and National Grid to ensure that any disruption is kept to an absolute minimum and that residents are kept informed of the situation at every stage.”

Residents affected by this crisis can get further or enquire about compensation from National Grid on 0845 605 6677 or www.nationalgrid.com, quoting reference ‘East Barnet incident’.