Stannington major incident: Sheffield residents hit by pipe burst heat crisis to get compensation doubled

A water main in the Sheffield suburb burst and tore holes in gas pipes on December 2, knocking out boilers, cookers and fires for thousands of residents. Hundreds of homes are still without hot water or heating, and electric heaters have had to be supplied by Cadent Gas Ltd to help families keep warm.

Gas distribution company said today Cadent it will be paying double its licence compensation payment and an automatic payment of seven days for all customers who lost their gas supply in Stannington to Malin Bridge, near Hillsborough due to the burst water pipe.

Richard Sansom, Cadent's director of the South Yorkshire and East Midlands network explained: "We appreciate this has been a very difficult situation over the past week, to be without gas and to have water in your gas appliances too. We want to help residents in the Stannington to Malin Bridge area.

"Each property that has been without gas will receive an automatic doubled payment compensation payment and an automatic payment for seven days as a minimum, paid automatically to them. We will be writing to all residents next week with all the details about how we will make these payments."

The usual licence payment of £65 for domestic customers will be doubled to £130 and an automatic payment for a minimum of seven days, totals £910. For commercial properties, the payment of £105 will be doubled to £210, and an automatic payment for seven days, a total of £1,470.

The company will write to customers early next week explaining how it will make these payments and what customers will need to do next. Commercial businesses will also receive the double payment – £105 to £210 for seven days - total £1,470

Customers looking to submit a compensation claim for consideration can do so via the following routes:

For water damage and additional costs incurred, fill out the form on Yorkshire Water’s website at

https://www.yorkshirewater.com/stannington and the team will be in touch as soon as they can. For anyone who doesn’t have access to the internet, there’s a dedicated phoneline on 01274 250555

Zoe Burns–Shore, customer experience director at Yorkshire Water, said: “We’re sorry about the ongoing impact this burst water main has had and understand how difficult it has been for residents in Stannington and Hillsborough.

“We don’t want any customers to worry about compensation for any costs they’ve had to incur, so we’ve created a form on our website to make it as easy as possible to get in touch with us. We’ve also set up a phoneline for anyone who doesn’t have access to the internet. You don’t need to get in touch with us straight away: we know everyone will be busy right now and want to reassure everyone we’ll be here to work through any claims.

“We also want to make sure we’re getting help out right away to anyone who is struggling. If you, or a neighbour, need some extra support while the gas supply remains off, please ring Sheffield Council on 0114 2734567 so we can get you the help you need.”

Olivia Blake, MP for Sheffield Hallam, said: “My heart goes out to all those who have been affected by this major incident. I want to offer a big thank you to everyone who has been working so hard to get everyone back on gas, as well as to our amazing local community, for pulling together and their countless acts of kindness.

“I know that residents and businesses are worried about getting their gas back on, but also about compensation in the longer term, so I’m grateful that this is being made clearer today.”