Gas Leak

Update 4pm 5 July

Work has successfully been completed to make the gas leak safe in Cleat Hill.

The 50m cordon has been lifted and all roads have been reopened. All residents that left their properties as part of the evacuation can now return to their homes.

Group Commander Rob Hulatt, chair of the multi-agency group that has led the operations for this incident, said: “Team Bedfordshire has worked fantastically over a long period to keep residents safe and work together to bring this incident to a safe resolution. It has been a joint effort and whilst on the face of it may have seemed like a low emergency service presence, there has been a huge number of different agencies involved with a lot of combined knowledge, expertise and hours going into four days of continuous work to bring it to a close.  

“This incident was reported at the start to be a one in a million. Whilst every incident is different, most scenarios we are presented with as an emergency service and an LRF we have usually seen before. This was different, and it has been fascinating working with specialists to plan, prepare and execute this.

“Keeping people safe has always been our main objective and throughout this incident we’ve tried to be as considerate as possible to those who were directly impacted in the area. We are thrilled that we only had to evacuate a very small number of properties for a short period of time and that now all residents in and around the area can go about their normal lives. We thank them for their support and understanding throughout this period.”

Residents in the area no longer need to keep windows and doors closed.

The borehole company will remain on site to complete its work. 

Update 2pm 5 July

All agencies are working as safely and quickly as possible to bring this incident to a close.  

Ahead of starting work onsite to make safe the gas leak, a 50 metre cordon has been set up and 13 properties within this cordon are being evacuated as a safety precaution. Residents were informed of this yesterday (4 July) evening.

This cordon will be in place from 2pm (Friday 5 July) for an anticipated two hours while the gas leak is made safe.  

The road closure on Cleat Hill remains in place.

Residents in the immediate area should continue to keep windows and doors closed.  

There is a high emergency service presence in the area to support the multi-agency response, including crews and hazardous materials specialists from the fire service, police officers, and hazardous area response team from the ambulance service.

Whilst the majority of properties in Glenrose Avenue and Wagstaffe Close will not be evacuated, the cordon blocks access to both roads and no one will be able to pass through it. Some other residents in those impacted roads may therefore leave their properties.

This is a multi-agency approach with a range of partners from across Bedfordshire Local Resilience Forum supporting and arrangements have been made nearby for those residents impacted by the evacuation.

When the cordon is removed and the road closure lifted, the fire service will publish an update on the incident page of its website and social media channels.

Update 1pm 4 July

Agencies including blue light partners, Bedford Borough Council, environmental and health specialists continue to work together to resolve the gas leak caused by bore-holing.  

Keeping residents safe and informed, whilst we work together to close the leak, is the most important thing, which is why we’re continuing to ask households in the immediate area to keep their windows and doors closed.  

Road closures will remain in place until further notice and are not expected to be lifted before Friday. 

Update 7pm 3 July

One crew remains on scene and will do overnight. Road closures remain in place and residents in  Glenrose Avenue and Wagstaffe Close and immediate surrounding area are encouraged to keep their windows and doors closed. 

Update midday 3 July

Road closures that are currently in place (Cleat Hill, Kimbolton Road, Glenrose Avenue and Wagstaffe Close) are anticipated to remain for the next 24 hours.   

Update 10am 3 July

A fire crew and officers remain on scene and will do for the rest of the day while we work with partners to complete tests at the gas leak. 

Residents in the immediate vicinity (Glenrose Avenue and Wagstaffe Close) are encouraged to continue to follow safety advice.  

A spokesperson from Nicholls Boreholes and Ground Source, which was working at the site, explained: "Whilst undertaking the installation of a closed loop ground source heat pump borehole we have encountered a pocket of naturally occurring gas at approximately 100 meters below ground level. The borehole has been temporarily capped to control the flow of gas whilst we work with the emergency services to permanently close the borehole. In the interim Nicholls Boreholes remain on site in a supporting role."

Update 8pm 2 July

The fire service will remain on scene throughout the night. Advice remains the same for nearby residents.

Update 5pm 2 July

At around 3.00pm (02 July) two crews and officers responded to a gas leak in Cleat Hill, Bedford. A 100m cordon and road closures have been put in place by the Police. 

Residents in Glenrose Avenue and Wagstaffe Close are advised to remain indoors and close all windows and doors. We would advise people to avoid the area at this current time.