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Home Canterbury News Article
The "staggering" roar of a major gas leak on the outskirts of Canterbury can be heard in video footage shot at the scene.
People have been warned not to light fires near Ratling Road in Aylesham, where an exclusion zone has been set up around the faulty pipe as repair works continue.
The whooshing sound from the gas leak caught on video
Experts from SGN gas network have now been at the scene for approaching 40 hours, and are expected to remain there until Wednesday.
One onlooker, who captured the alarming whooshing sound on video yesterday, said: "The stench was absolutely nauseating and left me with a banging headache.
"The roar from the sound of the gas escaping was quite staggering; it was completely at odds with the stillness in the air on what was a bright, beautiful day."
Fire crews and gas worker were called to Ratling Road at just after 10pm on Saturday.
The road was closed to traffic and staff from a nearby Yodel depot were cleared from their building as a precaution.
Now, the fire service is still advising residents to keep their windows and doors closed, while those in Aylesham and Nonington are asked not to light any bonfires or let off fireworks.
Fire crews have now left the area, but SGN engineers remain on-site.
The firm estimates work to repair the leak will not be completed until Wednesday.
SGN spokesman Dan Brown said on Monday: "We’ve been on site continually since Saturday monitoring readings, carrying out safety checks in the area and preparing to make a permanent repair to the affected pipe.
"This is a complex repair that requires specialist equipment and this will be delivered to site shortly to enable our engineers to make the permanent repairs.
"To ensure everyone’s safety while we repair our network, we’ve setup an exclusion zone around the site.
"This means we’ve needed to evacuate a nearby commercial property and close a section of Ratling Road to motorists. A signed diversion is in place while we carry out this urgent work.
"All being well, we expect to complete this work by Wednesday. Once this is safely completed, we’ll be able to remove our exclusion zone and allow the commercial property to be reoccupied and Ratling Road to be reopened.
"Our on-site engineers will continue to monitor readings of gas in the nearby area. If you can smell gas, please call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999."
