Multiple road closures were in place while emergency services dealt with the leak
Woodend Avenue was one of the roads blocked off by police(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
A 500m cordon was put in place this afternoon following reports of a gas leak. Fire crews were called to Fleming Road at around 2.02pm today, January 9, after what has been described as a gas escape from an asset used for industrial purposes.
The huge cordon was put in place around the site, with Merseyside Police closing off parts of Woodend Avenue, Hillfoot Avenue and Kingsthorne Park to traffic. Although the gas asset is not owned by Cadent, as the gas emergency service for Merseyside its engineers were at the scene to ensure the area was safe. All on-site employees and those working in a building next to the affected site were evacuated as a safety precaution while emergency services dealt with the incident.
While shops and houses on Woodend Avenue were not evacuated, residents had to park away from the street as police were trying to keep as few cars as possible parked nearby. Local residents said the incident had caused “chaos” as motorists were diverted away from the cordon.
An industrial site and an adjacent building were evacuated earlier today
One resident, who lives on Woodend Avenue, said they had struggled to get home from work. He said: “I came down Higher Road and a policewoman told me I couldn’t get down Woodend because it was all blocked off. I had to park my car miles away and walk home, it was chaos.”
Another resident added: “It took me about 25 minutes longer to get home than usual. The traffic was absolutely mad, bumper to bumper. We weren’t allowed to park on our street so I had to park a few streets away from the house.” James Lee, the owner of Dirty Dogs Grooming Centre, on Hillfoot Avenue said he had to close his business early as the road closures stopped customers dropping off and collecting their pets.
A spokesperson for Mersey Fire and Rescue said: ‘Fire crews have been called to a gas escape from an asset used for industrial purposes at a site on Fleming Road in Halewood. A 500 metre cordon is in place around the affected area. Two fire engines are in attendance – crews were alerted at 2.02pm and on scene at 2.10pm.
“Crews arrived to find a gas escape had occurred and after liaising with the responsible person and an operative from Cadent Gas established a 500 metre cordon, with all on-site employees and an adjacent building evacuated. A freight train line nearby falls within the cordon area so there is possible disruption to freight travel.”
Dale Martin, Customer Operations Area Manager for Cadent, said: “We responded to reports of a gas escape at industrial premises in Halewood this afternoon.
“While we do not own the asset this relates to, we are the area’s gas emergency service, so our engineers attend incidents like these to make it safe. Everything is now under control.
“It is important to stress that if anyone ever smells gas, they must act immediately and ring the gas emergency service on 0800 111 999*, day or night. They should not assume it is related to this – as it may not be and needs to be checked.”