National Gas Emergency Service (England, Wales and Scotland)
If you smell gas, or you think a gas appliance may be giving off carbon monoxide, you call this number to report it. It also takes reports of a gas pipe that has been hit, even if no gas is leaking. The call handler tells you what to do next, and an emergency gas engineer is sent from your local gas network. It is the number for mains (natural) gas in England, Wales and Scotland.
Good to know
Cadent, which runs the line for the gas industry, says it is “free to call” and “operates 24/7”. Its site says “All calls are recorded and may be monitored.” Cadent says to open doors and windows, turn off the gas at the mains tap, and not to turn any power or light switches on or off or light any flame. If the leak is in a cellar or basement, do not go in: leave the building. The operator asks you to call only for a smell of gas or a suspected carbon monoxide problem. The engineer will need to come inside and carries ID for you to check. Do not turn the gas back on until a Gas Safe registered engineer has checked it. The Health and Safety Executive says that if you are in doubt, leave the building and tell the police as well. Northern Ireland has a different number. For gas from an LPG tank, use the number on the tank or meter.
Before you call
Have ready
- nothing is listed: the operators' pages do not say what the call handler asks for
They can
- take a report of a smell of gas, a gas leak, a suspected carbon monoxide problem, or a gas pipe that has been hit
- tell you what to do next and send an emergency gas engineer from your local gas network
- take calls from British Sign Language users through SignLive. For other help with hearing or speech, National Gas points people to Relay UK
They cannot
- help with a boiler or appliance that has simply stopped working: the operator asks you to call only for a smell of gas or a suspected carbon monoxide problem
- fix your appliances: the operator says extra work on an oven, boiler or fire needs a Gas Safe registered engineer
- take calls for Northern Ireland, which has its own number, or for LPG tanks, where you use the number on the tank or meter
The engineer may be sent to a more urgent job first. Cadent says it will “aim to attend within the time frame provided on the call”. Ofgem, the regulator, says its rules require networks to attend reports of suspected gas leaks “within one or two hours, depending on the circumstances of the incident, in 97% of cases”. Follow the advice the helpline gives you while you wait.
- Phone
- 0800 111 999
- Website
- https://cadentgas.com/smell-gas
- Hours
- The National Gas site says “24 hours a day”.
- Coverage
- Great Britain
- Languages
- English
- Last checked
- November 1, 2026
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