SEVERAL Islanders living in flats at La Colomberie had to be evacuated from their homes on New Year’s Eve after a suspected gas leak.
Staff from Island Energy and Jersey Water were called out following reports of a smell of gas in the area.
One Islander, who did not wish to be named and who lives near the block, said that work on the road had been going on throughout most of the day, and only wrapped up at around 10pm.
They said: “The staff couldn’t get access into the building next door, even though there’s people living in there, which is a bit scary because nobody was answering, and they either couldn’t get them out or they didn’t want to come out.
“I believe that whole building was evacuated and they were trying to get into the one next door. I did go and ask them if we were okay because I was worried and they came into my flat and did a gas reading here, and that was fine.
“I have my daughter here sometimes, so I was a bit concerned about it.”
Figures released last year showed that there had been a 600% increase in calls made to emergency services for suspected gas leaks since 2020.
The Islander admitted they had been “really scared” by the incident as they were taking readings near his house and the “machine started beeping red”.
They added: “Fair play to them for working so late on New Year’s Eve to rectify it though. I could tell they had evacuated that whole building, and I could tell the residents weren’t happy about it, because I could hear them shouting and stuff.
“In my opinion, the use of gas should be abolished in residential areas. I think it should be restricted just to camping equipment and things like that. It’s just way too dangerous. If something happened here, in such a concentrated area, it would be catastrophic.”
A spokesperson for Island Energy said: “Islanders may be aware that our gas engineers were called to La Colomberie on 31 December following a publicly reported smell of gas. We would like to reassure Islanders that we found and rectified it early in the evening. Some residents were temporarily evacuated as a precaution.
“Island Energy has a very strict policy and procedure in the event of a gas escape and, when we are called to attend, we use a highly sensitive gas detection unit, and follow a thorough checking process on all call outs. We monitor inside buildings and outside within a wide radius.
“We take all reports of potential gas escapes seriously and have a 24-hour emergency number 755555, in place for Islanders to report any potential escapes.”
