What do I do if I smell gas?
The immediate steps in order, why you must not touch a light switch, and who to call.
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Time
- 5 min
- Read
- 4 min
- Safety
- restricted
Short answer
Do not touch any switch, phone or appliance indoors. Turn the gas off at the meter if you can reach it safely, open doors and windows, get everyone out, and ring the gas emergency service from outside — 0800 111 999 in Great Britain, 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland. Do not go back in until you are told it is safe.
Natural gas has no smell of its own; the distinctive rotten-egg odour is an additive put there specifically so leaks are noticed. If you can smell it, treat it as real. The sequence below is short because speed matters more than certainty.
Safety
Step by step
- Do not operate anything electrical.No light switches, no doorbell, no plugs, no mobile phone inside the building. Switching a circuit produces a small spark at the contacts, and that is enough to ignite an accumulated gas-air mixture.
- Put out any naked flame.Extinguish cigarettes, candles and hobs. Do not light anything, including a match to see by.
- Open doors and windows as you pass them.Ventilation disperses the gas and lowers the concentration. Do it on the way out rather than making a circuit of the house to do it.
- Turn the gas off at the meter if it is safe to reach.The emergency control valve is beside the meter, usually a lever that turns to sit across the pipe. If the meter is in a cellar or somewhere you would have to walk into a stronger smell to reach, leave it.
- Get everyone out of the building.Including neighbours in a flat or terrace if the smell is strong. Take pets. Do not stop to collect things.
- Call the gas emergency service from outside.In Great Britain that is the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. In Northern Ireland it is 0800 002 001. Outside the UK, ring your own gas network's emergency line, or the local emergency number if anyone is in danger. All are free and staffed around the clock. Give the address and say there is a gas smell.
- Stay out until you are told otherwise.The engineer will make the situation safe and tell you when the building can be re-entered. Do not go back in to check anything in the meantime.
- Recognise carbon monoxide as a separate emergency.Carbon monoxide has no smell at all. Headaches, dizziness, nausea or drowsiness that improve when you leave the house, or a boiler flame burning yellow rather than blue, mean the same call — and get medical advice.
- Do not attempt any repair.Work on gas pipework and appliances is legally restricted to Gas Safe registered engineers. This is not a case where care substitutes for qualification.
Tips
- Find your emergency control valve now, while there is no emergency, and make sure everyone in the house knows where it is.
- Put the right number for where you live in your phone now — 0800 111 999 in Great Britain, 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland. Looking it up during an evacuation is not the moment.
- A faint smell near a hob that clears when you check the burners is usually an unlit ring. A persistent smell is not.
Common mistakes
- Turning on a light to look for the source — The switch itself is an ignition source. This is the single most dangerous thing people do on smelling gas.
- Calling from inside the building — A mobile phone is an electrical device. Make the call from outside, or from a neighbour's.
If it doesn't work
Faint gas smell in the kitchen only
Cause: A hob ring left slightly open, or a pilot light out — Fix: Check the hob controls are off. If the smell persists after that, treat it as a leak and follow the steps above.
Smell outside near the meter or a manhole
Cause: Possible leak on the supply rather than inside the property — Fix: Stay clear and call the same gas emergency number. Outdoor leaks are reported exactly the same way.
Headaches and drowsiness with no smell
Cause: Possible carbon monoxide from an appliance burning incompletely — Fix: Get everyone out, ring the gas emergency service, and seek medical advice. Carbon monoxide is odourless and this is the only warning you get without an alarm.
Questions people ask
Who do I call if I smell gas?
In Great Britain — England, Scotland and Wales — the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. In Northern Ireland the gas emergency number is 0800 002 001 instead; 0800 111 999 will not reach your network. Both are free, staffed around the clock, and should be rung from outside the building. Outside the UK, use your own gas network's emergency line, and the local emergency number if anyone is in danger.
Why can I not turn on a light if I smell gas?
Switching any electrical contact makes a small spark, which is enough to ignite a gas-air mixture. Leave every switch, plug and phone alone until you are outside.