After calling about gas in my property on January 2nd - 3 months ago - which the engineer found was leaking in through a drain pipe into my property from the sewer pipes, I have had 3 months of utter chaos. Almost 2 months of Cadent fixing a leak then moving on to either another leak or waiting for traffic lights to be moved. I believe the decision to fix leaks at the least cost, rather than replace the gas main, caused several leaks to not be found. The leak was on the main road and was many different joints on the gas main. They further leaks were only uncovered when the gas readings in my house were 20 LEL, leaving my family and me in a very stressful and frankly dangerous position. The gas from the main was under my driveway, my garage, the whole back of my house and in my downstairs toilet (where the reading were as stated earlier). To release the gas, my driveway was dug up, followed by the back of my house outside the toilet in order to break pipes and release the gas. For around 8 weeks, I was told that they could not explain why or how the gas was leaking into my house. Weeks of calling every day/couple of days to report leaks, having people coming in and out of the house to do checks. The men working on the job to fix the leaks were incredible but it now seems clear that had the main been fixed properly in the first place or even replaced as it is clearly failing, this would not have happened. To rule out any issues with the supply to my house, they then upgraded the supply to the house upgrading the steel to plastic - failing to mention that this would change the pipe from a small metal black pipe (that is in keeping with my Victorian house) to a big plastic white and yellow pipe coming off the front of the house. I was extremely unhappy with this, especially as this was not the actual problem and there was nothing wrong with the pipe in the first place. The decision was made to re-house the meter in the cellar so this awful pipe could be removed completely. This was done and pipes removed. The job was finally closed down 3 weeks ago after 10 weeks, after 3-4 more joints were sealed, many encapsulated. Bear in mind around 4 other leaks had already been fixed over the previous weeks, all outside and along from my house. All clearly leaking gas into the ground and then up my drain into my house. After the job was closed, I was left with a hole over a metre deep on my drive, a similar hole in my garden at the back of the house and another hole at the front of the house where the steel was upgraded and gas meter was moved. Then we smelt a gas leak in the cellar and the meter they had moved was leaking as he had dropped some flux on the pipe causing it to decay. So another call out, engineer had to come and fix the meter. Reinstatement of holes on my property was requested over 3 weeks ago. Since then we have had people turn up and unable to do anything as another person needs to come e.g. I can't relay the patio as there is a huge hole or I can't fill the hole because there is a hole in your pipe. Who is managing this? It seems nobody is. Nobody has any idea what is happening. Meanwhile someone appears daily assuming we are available to answer the door, open the garage, talk them through the job. Someone turned up and filled the hole at the front without checking the back. Someone came and attempted to relay the front drive. The mess that has been left is appalling. It is a crazy paved type drive - stones are left over. The hole where the supply was upgraded is shocking. There was a small stone wall around the plants and crazy paving on the drive. The driveway now has holes where no slab have been put, just filled with cement, the wall has been either left or huge slabs from the drive have been put there. The back has now been done - not a bad job and done by different people - but stones are missing. After months of being patient with the leaks from the main - not our leak - endangering me and my family and leaking on to my property, my drive is a complete mess and nobody seems to know what is happening nor willing to take responsibility for the job. We have had some of the workers say this is the job nobody wants and that's why they leave. I registered a complaint on Tuesday and was told an adviser would contact me. I have heard nothing despite being reassured that Cadent take this seriously and will resolve this. I chased this up today and it took an hour to speak to customer complaints. It seems to me that the only way to have the damage caused by Cadent to my house and return it to the state it was in before CADENT'S leak, not mine, caused my house to be dangerous, is to instruct a solicitor. Am now waiting for a call back - 10-20 minutes they said. Now almost 2 hours later and no call.
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