A gas leak that forced residents to evacuate a block of flats in Andover town centre was caused by damage to a gas network by a construction team carrying out unrelated work, it has been confirmed.
Gas distribution company SGN has revealed that its network was damaged by a construction team undertaking work unconnected to the company, resulting in an emergency response at Clarence Court on Tuesday (27 October).
The incident led to the evacuation of residents from the building, with over 40 flats believed to have been affected.
Police attended the scene to assist SGN, while engineers carried out emergency repairs and took gas readings inside individual properties to ensure the building was safe.
Residents faced an anxious wait while safety checks were completed and engineers awaited final authorisation for the building to be reopened.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, an SGN spokesperson confirmed the cause of the incident.
“We’ve completed emergency repairs in Clarence Court, Bridge Street, Andover, following damage to our network by a construction team carrying out work unrelated to SGN or our network.
“Evacuated residents of Clarence Court have been allowed to return to their homes.
“We’d like to thank residents for their patience and support during our essential emergency work.”
All evacuated residents have since been allowed to return to their properties following the completion of emergency repairs.
It has not been confirmed which construction company was responsible for the damage or what work was being undertaken at the time of the incident.