This report is especially interesting because of the mention of many recent gas leaks in the same company's pipeline...

Families Back Home After Gas Scare

Source: Evening News - Scotland

Publication date: Jan 22, 2000

DOZENS of families were preparing to return to their homes today after a gas leak forced them to find safety and spend the night elsewhere.

Residents from a five-storey block of 24 flats spent the night with friends, relatives and at nearby hotels after the leak from a fractured pipe was noticed at about 1.45pm yesterday.

Repairs to the leak, in Keith Court, Glenrothes, in Fife, were completed late last night, said Transco, the gas transportation company.

Jeanette Jackson of Transco said: "It was a fracture on a gas pipe and we are still investigating the reasons for the escape.

"It was an outdoor gas escape but there was some gas getting into the flats which is why the decision was made to evacuate.

"It is safe for all the people to go back to their homes but we would advise them to go back after 8am. "We will accompany them and sort out all their appliances to make sure that the gas is available for their flats because all the gas had to be cut off after the leak occurred."

Glenrothes Social services masterminded the arrangements to find the residents alternative overnight accommodation.

When the leak was first noticed the residents were taken to a nearby church hall while accommodation was arranged.

The incident comes in the wake of calls for an inquiry into the mounting number of leaks from Transco owned pipes which have been making the headlines recently, one of which resulted in the tragic death of the Findlay family from Larkhall.

The blast on December 22 killed Andrew and Janette Findlay and their children Stacey, 13, and Daryl, 11, and also demolished their house.

It was later found there had been 19 leaks in the mains pipe that supplied the house.

Link to story:

http://beta.newsreal.com/cgi-bin/NewsService?osform_template=pages/newsrealStory&ID=newsreal&storypath=News/Story_2000_01_27.NRdb@2@11@3@227&path=News/Category.NRdb@2@16

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), January 27, 2000