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Almost 5,000 evacuated in City of London gas leak

News imageRohanneymar via Reddit Crowds of people stand on a pavement and spill into the road on a street in the City of London, surrounded by office buildings and shops.Rohanneymar via Reddit
Surrounding offices were evacuated

About 4,700 people were evacuated in the City of London after a gas leak.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) said it was called to Old Broad Street at 10:55 BST, where crews found a ruptured six-inch gas main at a six-storey office building.

A 200m cordon was put in place between Threadneedle Street and London Wall, with nearby buildings evacuated as a precaution. The brigade has now removed its cordon, and people are being allowed back into affected properties.

A Cadent spokesperson said the pipe was "severely damaged by a private construction team" and stressed the work that caused the damage "had nothing to do with Cadent or its pipework".

Cadent is keeping a road closure in place on Great Winchester Street while engineers complete repairs to the damaged gas pipeline.

News imagePolice officers stand beside a cordon on a wet street in the City of London, while fire engines and emergency service vehicles line the road in the background.
Cadent gas and London Fire Brigade have been working to make the area safe

Two fire engines from Dowgate and Shadwell fire stations, along with a fire rescue unit from Bethnal Green, attended the incident.

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