If you smell gas. If you suspect a gas leak, act straight away: call the emergency number on 0800 111 999.

So what happens when someone dials the National Gas Emergency Service? When you dial 0800 111 999, your call will be routed to the call centre. It doesn’t matter what time of day or night you ring – there are trained operators working round-the-clock waiting to take your call. A call handling agent will log all the appropriate details onto a computer.

The kind of information you’ll be asked for will include:

• The address/location of the suspected gas escape or gas emergency
• How many people are at the property where the smell is most noticeable?
• How long the smell has been noticeable?
• Is the smell coming from the cellar/basement?
• Are any neighbours affected?
• Your name and phone number
• Any special circumstances or access information

Getting accurate address details is very important as we want to make sure we send engineers to exactly the right place. You will be asked to verify these details for this very reason. Your address and postcode are particularly important. You’ll be asked a series of questions designed to help us build a picture of the reported gas escape or gas emergency. From these details, we can identify the right gas safety advice for you – such as:

• Opening doors and windows
• Turning the gas off at the meter unless the meter is located in the cellar/basement
• Avoiding the use of any naked flames or electrical switches

All calls to the National Gas Emergency Service and National Enquiry lines may be recorded and monitored.