Engineers work to fix gas leak under busy main road near Chorley and South Ribble Hospital

Teams from local gas network Cadent said they were working to fix a leak identified on a pipe in Chorley.

They suspected the gas leak was coming from a pipe that runs under Preston Road, close to the junction with Euxton Lane.

Cadent confirmed the leak was under control, but the challenge engineers faced was repairing it without completely closing the road.

Colin Baker, Customer Operations Area Manager for Cadent, said: “It couldn’t be in a more challenging place.

“Our priority is keeping everyone safe, but we are also working very hard to keep traffic flowing as well as keep gas flowing into people’s homes.

“We appreciate everyone’s patience while we carry out this work, and know too that it’s causing traffic issues in the local area."

Temporary traffic lights were installed to keep the roads open and maintain a safe area for the teams to work in.

All entrances to the hospital also remained open, but residents were asked to plan extra time for their journeys.

“Once we’ve got down to the pipe and assessed the nature of the leak, we’ll have a much better idea how long this will take to complete,” Mr Baker added.

“My team is monitoring the gas readings regularly.

“We’re only detecting low readings – nothing that need worry anyone.

If you smell gas during this work, nearby or anywhere, always ring the national gas emergency service immediately, day or night, on 0800 111 999.