Around 4,700 people were evacuated from buildings in the City of London on Tuesday following a gas leak. The London Fire Brigade (LFB) was called to Old Broad Street at about 10.55am, where crews found a ruptured six-inch gas main at a six-storey office building.
Evacuation and cordon
A 200m cordon was established between Threadneedle Street and London Wall, with nearby buildings evacuated as a precaution. Shortly before 2pm, LFB confirmed the incident had been resolved, with the cordon removed and people allowed back into the affected properties.
Two fire engines from Dowgate and Shadwell fire stations and a fire rescue unit from Bethnal Green attended the scene.
Cause and response
A Cadent spokesperson said the pipe causing the leak was "severely damaged by a private construction team" and that its teams were on-site carrying out repairs, with a road closure in place on Great Winchester Street until the work is completed. They added that the work which caused the damage "had nothing to do with Cadent or its pipework".
The London Ambulance Service confirmed that it dispatched a hazardous area response team along with an incident response officer to the scene, but that no injuries or patients were reported.
Employees react
Employees evacuated as a result of the leak told The Standard they were "relieved" to be returning to the office. One receptionist told The Standard that staff at their building could smell gas ahead of the evacuation.
They said: "We were told ahead of time and followed evacuation procedures. We were standing around for a couple of hours waiting for updates and then told at 1.05pm that we could head back inside." Asked about how they felt going back into the building, they said: "We're relieved."
