Gas restored to most properties after outage

Gas supplies have been restored to thousands of homes affected by a major outage, a utility company has said.

More than 100 engineers have been working to restore supplies in the Kingsbridge, Malborough and Salcombe area of the South Hams in Devon following damage to a mains pipe caused by a third party. on Saturday, Wales and West Utilities (WWU) said.

The firm said supplies had been restored to about three-quarters of the 4,600 affected properties.

It said engineers were continuing restoration work to properties in Salcombe and Kingsbridge, with the majority of outstanding properties being "those where we have already visited but not been able to gain access".

Inaccessible second homes or holiday lets has slowed down the reconnection process, WWU said.

Salcombe mayor Jasper Evans had urged residents to make sure somebody was at home to let engineers in.

WWU said: "We continue to appreciate everyone's patience as we work to restore the remaining supplies and value people's continued support in enabling us to gain access to their properties."

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