Residents unable to go home as gas repairs continue

Residents evacuated from their homes due to a gas leak have been unable to return home for a second day.

Thirty homes were evacuated in Fordington, Dorchester, early on Monday and others were left without power as a result of the ruptured gas main.

SGN, which looks after the gas network, said it had located the leak on Harvey Terrace, which remained closed from the junction of High Street to the junction of Holloway Road.

It said Fordington High Street and Holloway Road had reopened with some residents allowed to return home, but some properties remained evacuated.

SGN spokesperson Bradley Barlow said: "At this stage it's too early to say how long the repairs will take to complete and we will provide updates here as soon as we have more information.

"A small number of properties remain evacuated while we work to complete our repairs, and those people affected are receiving support until it is safe to return to their homes.

"We are sorry for any inconvenience these works may cause and thank you for your patience and understanding."

Resident resident Katie Tidby told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she reported the leak after noticing a smell coming from the drains.

She said: "When the engineer arrived he lifted the manhole cover and you could see the gas shooting out… they took readings in our house and their machine bleeped in every room, so they said we would have to evacuate."