Portsmouth gas leak: Gas company SGN gives update about when evacauted residents can return home to Sarah Robinson House

People were removed from 120 flats in Sarah Robinson House, in Queen Street, Portsea, on Wednesday, September 6 when the issue was identified. Portsmouth City Council, which manages the building, has provided temporary accomodation for its displaced residents and has now said this will be available until Tuesday, September 12 in association with gas company SGN. Faced with the prospect of almost a week spent away from home, residents have expressed concern over pets left in the building and food which will go off due to the building’s power supply being switched off.

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Gas supplier SGN's spokesperson Waseem Hanif said: "Our engineers have identified the gas leak at Sarah Robinson House and have made safe, however, high gas readings inside the building are preventing us from allowing residents to return home.

"We’re working as hard as possible to fully ventilate the building, and we’ll be using specialist equipment throughout the weekend to extract all gas.

"As soon as our engineers are satisfied there are no gas readings in the building, and the electricity supply has been reinstated and tested, residents will be allowed to reoccupy their homes and we will carry out safety checks to each individual property. At the moment, we’re aiming for residents begin returning home on Tuesday next week.”

The company is providing hot food vouchers and supermarket vouchers to support people during the disruption. Each houshold in the building will be compensated £70 per 24-hour period of the evacuation.

He added: "We understand it’s difficult for people to be out of their homes and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this is causing. Your safety is our number one priority, and we’d like to assure everyone that our engineers are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation."

According to Portsmouth City Council, council housing officers and the community safety team from SGN will call every resident of Sarah Robinson House today and over the weekend to make sure they have everything they need, including access to medication and further support for more vulnerable members of the community.

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The John Pounds Centre will no longer be used as an emergency rest centre for sleeping, but will remain open over the weekend as a community hub, with light refreshments available and activities for children.

Cllr Darren Sanders, cabinet member for housing and tackling homelessness, added: "I want to thank our residents for their understanding as we work to make Sarah Robinson House safe for everyone. This is a serious safety issue and we appreciate how unsettling the evacuation is and the upheaval it has caused."

SGN is also offering some allocated time slots for residents to collect urgent essential belongings from their home tomorrow morning (Saturday 9 September). To discuss arranging a time slot, please contact a council representative at the welfare centre.

Any residents of Sarah Robinson House, who haven’t spoken to the housing team, are encouraged to call 023 9260 6200.

You can view the full statement from SGN on their website.