There's a house in my street which has a gas meter cupboard recessed into
the wall, but from which the door is missing, so the meter is exposed to the
elements and the local yoof (it's directly onto the pavement, at toddler
height).

I think it looks very dodgy, but the owner doesn't seem perturbed as it's
been like this for ages. Graffiti on the walls nearby makes me wonder what
some undesirable might take it into the heads to do... I dunno, is it just
me, or is this setup inherently dangerous; as a resident should I (or the
owner!) be worried about it?

What would happen if I rang Transco anonymously about it? (maybe mentioning
a funny smell??!)

Dave

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:48:17 GMT, "Dave P"
wrote:

There's a house in my street which has a gas meter cupboard recessed into
the wall, but from which the door is missing, so the meter is exposed to the
elements and the local yoof (it's directly onto the pavement, at toddler
height).

I think it looks very dodgy, but the owner doesn't seem perturbed as it's
been like this for ages. Graffiti on the walls nearby makes me wonder what
some undesirable might take it into the heads to do... I dunno, is it just
me, or is this setup inherently dangerous; as a resident should I (or the
owner!) be worried about it?

What would happen if I rang Transco anonymously about it? (maybe mentioning
a funny smell??!)

I was once told that the responsibility for this was the gas supplier
(Transco?), but I'm not sure how the people you pay for your gas
manage to get out of any responsibility, since your contract is with
them...

OK - you're talking about a neighbour, but the argument still stands.

This Thatcherism has really simplified the supply of "public services"
(not).

--
Frank Erskine

On Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:48:17 +0000, Dave P wrote:

There's a house in my street which has a gas meter cupboard recessed into
the wall, but from which the door is missing, so the meter is exposed to the
elements and the local yoof (it's directly onto the pavement, at toddler
height).

I think it looks very dodgy, but the owner doesn't seem perturbed as it's
been like this for ages. Graffiti on the walls nearby makes me wonder what
some undesirable might take it into the heads to do... I dunno, is it just
me, or is this setup inherently dangerous; as a resident should I (or the
owner!) be worried about it?

What would happen if I rang Transco anonymously about it? (maybe mentioning
a funny smell??!)

I might be wrong but I'm fairly sure that the responsibility for
maintaining the enclosure rests with the freeholder.

In rented accomodation this would be picked up (by me anyway) on an Annual
Inspection which would instigate me drawing up an At risk notice. I would
reckon on the 'AR' being justified on the increased risk of corrosion
damage to the meter. This would mean that I would expect the Landlord to
get it fixed and I would be offering to do so.

If the installation is leaking then either Transco will fix it or the
owner depending on where the leak is. If you smell gas the number is
0800 111 999.

The scope for trouble makers here is immense.

If the scrotes take tools to the installation then they are going to fall
foul of the gas regs, if caught they will be in trouble, which no doubt is
all in a day's mayhem for them. Likewise violence to the installation
will constitute criminal damage. It is unlikely that anyone of them will
be so creative as to simply turn it off which _should_ not make for a
dangerous situation providing everything in the house is working right.

In this case you probably need to buy a whole inset box to get a new
door.

The outset boxes are semi tamper proof requiring a simple triangular key
to open the door, but invariably the installer will leave out the screws
holding the bottom of the main cover in place. This is of huge help to
fitters when doing work as we can then remove the whole cover by lifting
it forward at the bottom and clean off. However in a rather exposed
and public location like this one I would be inclined to secure it.

As I travel around these parts I can find many examples of dilapidated
gas meter boxes. I guess there are just more important problems for
Trasnco to fix, like stopping leaks, and making sure enough gas get
through to fire everyone's combi boiler.

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html