Developing story: this Morden gas leak is still being investigated — the details below are what has been confirmed so far. This article will be updated as SGN and Merton Council share more information.
Gas engineers have been called out to Morden after a leak was discovered at one of the town’s busiest road junctions. The problem was found at the junction of London Road and Crown Lane, and was reported to the gas network operator SGN by Merton Council this morning, Friday 2 October.
SGN has confirmed it is now investigating the leak. The company said its engineers have already attended the site and that preventative works have been scheduled to fix the problem. No timescale for the repairs has been given, and it is not yet clear whether the work will require the road to be dug up.
Merton Council moved to reassure people living and working nearby. A spokesperson said the authority would stay in close contact with SGN to make sure the issue is dealt with as soon as possible, and that residents and businesses had no reason to be alarmed.
“You may notice some markings on the pavement where additional checks are needed, but the area is safe to travel through in the meantime,” the council said. Paint markings of that kind are a common sight when utility companies survey underground pipes, showing engineers where further investigation is required.
London Road — the A24 — is one of the main routes through Morden, carrying traffic between the town centre and surrounding parts of south west London, while Crown Lane feeds traffic into it at a busy intersection in the town. Roadworks on a junction of this kind can quickly cause queues once they begin, though no closures or lane restrictions have been announced in connection with this leak.
At the time of writing there is no suggestion of any evacuations, and neither the council nor SGN has advised people to avoid the area. If closures, diversions or a timetable for the repair works are announced, this article will be updated. South west London has already dealt with utility disruption this week: a low-pressure outage that left homes across south west London without water was treated as a developing story while engineers worked to restore supplies.
What to do if you smell gas
A suspected gas leak in the street is not something for the public to investigate themselves. If you smell gas — which carries a distinctive rotten-egg odour so that leaks can be detected — the official advice is to call the National Gas Emergency service on 0800 111 999. The line is free and operates around the clock.
Other steps recommended by the emergency service include opening doors and windows to ventilate the area, avoiding switching electrical appliances or lights on or off, and not smoking or using naked flames nearby. If the smell is strong indoors, leave the property and make the call from outside, so engineers can trace the source and make the area safe.
Travel advice
For now, the council’s message to anyone passing through is straightforward: the junction is safe to use, but expect to see survey markings and engineers on the pavements while checks continue. If SGN’s repair works do require digging, lane closures or temporary traffic lights could follow at short notice, so allow extra time for journeys through the area.
It is also worth checking for disruption elsewhere before setting out — this weekend’s planned Tube and rail closures could affect longer journeys, and bus speeds in the capital have fallen to their lowest since 2013-14, meaning road journeys can take longer than expected.
SGN has not yet said how long the preventative works will take. Merton Council says it will continue to update residents and businesses as the situation develops. This story is developing and will be updated when more is known.
