'Are we going to be woken up due to gas leaks again?'

A woman has criticised Island Energy for not telling her whether a gas supply to her home had been disconnected.

Heather Anderson said she does not use gas in her home but had not been told whether the supply had been disconnected following a gas leak outside her property in Highlands Lane in January 2025.

Island Energy said the supply had been disconnected in 2020 but admitted they should have communicated better with Anderson.

A BBC Freedom of Information request found reports of gas leaks had increased in recent years with 14 in 2022, increasing to 74 in 2025.

The Freedom of Information response was provided by the government with figures from the States of Jersey Fire and Rescue Service.

While there were 14 incidents of reported gas leaks in 2022, the numbers increased in the following years, with 52 incidents in 2023, 63 in 2024 and 74 in 2025.

In December 2022 a gas explosion at the Haut Du Mont flats killed 10 people.

Island Energy has pleaded not guilty to court charges in relation to the explosion for not ensuring the health and safety of employees and those not in its employment.

Island Energy told the BBC the Freedom of Information request "did not represent the true number of reports that Island Energy investigates."

"Island Energy did see an initial spike in reports during 2023, but those have remained stable with no noticeable increase year on year since those figures were compiled."

Following the Freedom of Information request, the BBC spoke to islanders about gas safety.

Heather Anderson said she was woken in 2025 by Island Energy because of a gas leak outside her home.

Anderson said: "We got a knock on the door late at night, we were asked to let someone in to see if there was a gas leak in our house, there wasn't thankfully but they did identify there was gas supply to the property which was a bit of a worry."

Mrs Anderson said they had never used gas in the property.

"Island Energy said we will have to come in and turn off the supply, we had somebody come around and assess it all but we never heard anything afterwards and it feels like you have to follow everything up, so there is a concern."

"When you're an individual homeowner you are worried: Are we going to be woken up at night with gas leaks again?"

Island Energy told the BBC the gas supply to Anderson's home was disconnected in 2020 before she moved there.

It acknowledged carrying out a safety visit to her home in 2025 after the Highlands Lane gas leak and confirmed staff visited her home on two further occasions to confirm records.

They said their visit confirmed the gas supply had been disconnected in 2020 and no further work needed to be done but said they could have communicated this better to Mrs Anderson.

The BBC also spoke to people living near Le Clos Mourant, where residents were evacuated in December 2024 because of a gas leak.

Andrew McCabe who lives close by said he felt most people were worried about gas safety.

He works in the construction sector and said there were occasions when he was unsettled by the smell of gas while on jobs.

"Just working on building sites, a few times people have smelt gas and we've had to close it down to get it inspected so it's just a theme that's occurring more often these days."

Emma Jackson, who lives near Le Clos Mourant, where 50 homes were evacuated because of a gas leak at the end of 2024, told the BBC she was concerned about gas safety.

Jackson said: "It's still nerve racking because you look at the damage that It can do if something does go wrong, you are only a couple of streets over, there is no guarantee you will be safe even if you are on electric, so yes it puts everyone on edge.

Deputy Catherine Curtis who chairs the Children, Education and Home Affairs Scrutiny panel, said the increase in reported gas leaks was likely down to two reasons.

"I think it's a matter of infrastructure problems and people communicating their concerns more quickly but that's good because we need to know about any possible gas leaks as soon as possible," she said.

Curtis welcomed a law amendment being brought to the States Assembly by the Home Affairs Minister which would require Island Energy to share information with the government more quickly.

"When the new law is passed the gas company will have to share information, this means that whoever is in charge there will be an obligation on them legally to share information and if they hold back on any information then there will be serious penalties in court," she said.

"They will have to say if there is any concerns raised by members of the public about gas leaks, if they have any concerns themselves this all has to be shared with government quickly."

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