Gas emergency guidance
I can smell gas in my home — what to do right now
Natural gas is odourless. The rotten-egg smell you notice is a stenching agent (mercaptan) added specifically so leaks can be found by smell. If you smell it inside, treat it as a live emergency until proven otherwise.
Do this right now
A smell of gas — that rotten-egg or sulphur odour — means gas is leaking somewhere. Do not investigate it yourself. Get out, ventilate, and call the emergency line before doing anything else.
- 1
Get everyone out of the property
Take children, pets and anyone vulnerable outside immediately. Do not stop to gather belongings.
- 2
Open windows and doors on the way out
Ventilating dilutes the gas. If it's safe and quick, open the front and back door as you leave — do not go looking for windows in rooms you don't have to enter.
- 3
Turn the gas off at the meter — only if you can reach it safely
Turn the emergency control valve (the handle on the pipe next to the meter) a quarter turn so it sits at 90° to the pipe. If the meter is in a cellar, cupboard or somewhere the smell is strong, skip this step and leave.
- 4
Call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999
Free, 24/7. They will attend, make the property safe and issue a warning notice or a formal 'left at risk' report. Call from outside the property, not from a phone inside.
- 5
Wait outside until an engineer arrives
Do not re-enter until the emergency engineer says it is safe. Warn neighbours if the smell is in a shared building.
Do NOT do these
- Do not switch any electrical switches on or off (that includes light switches).
- Do not use a mobile phone, doorbell or intercom inside the property.
- Do not smoke, light a match or use a lighter.
- Do not try to trace the leak yourself.
- Do not restart any gas appliance.
- Do not drive a vehicle in an attached garage until ventilated.
Once the property is made safe
After the National Gas Emergency Service has attended and issued their paperwork, a Gas Safe registered engineer needs to make the follow-up repair before the gas can be turned back on. Only book us after the immediate emergency has been handled.
- The emergency engineer will make the leak safe and cap the appliance, meter or pipe involved. They do not carry out repairs.
- You will be handed a warning notice (yellow or red label). Keep it — a Gas Safe registered engineer needs to see it before restoring supply.
- Only a Gas Safe engineer can permanently repair the leak and re-commission your appliances.
- If the leak was tenant-reported, notify your landlord immediately — repair is their legal responsibility under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
KJ Plumbers promise: £50 fixed diagnostic, transparent written quote before any work, and if we can't fix the fault we diagnosed the £50 is refunded. All gas work carried out only by Gas Safe registered engineers — ask for the card on arrival.