Three gas suppliers fined £8m by ofgem for being too slow to attend leaks

OFGEM SAID THE THREE FIRMS – CADENT GAS, SCOTLAND GAS NETWORKS (SGN SCOTLAND) AND SOUTHERN GAS NETWORKS (SGN SOUTHERN) – HAD AGREED TO PAY THE FINE. 10:43, 30 May 2025Updated 10:44, 30 May

2025 Three gas firms are being fined an eye-watering £8 MILLION by Ofgem for being too slow to attend leaks. Ofgem said the three firms – Cadent Gas, Scotland Gas Networks (SGN Scotland) and

Southern Gas Networks (SGN Southern) – had agreed to pay the fine. It comes after missing callout targets that require them to attend suspected gas leaks within one to two hours in 97% of

cases. Ofgem’s director of market oversight and enforcement, Cathryn Scott, has spoken out over the fines. Ms Scott said: “The potential risk to households and businesses if gas leaks aren’t

investigated quickly is significant, so it’s right that the companies involved have acknowledged the seriousness of missing these targets.” READ MORE LLOYDS BANK BRINGS IN BIG CHANGE AND

ANYONE WHO IS IN A 'COUPLE' WILL BENEFIT Scott said the regulator was confident that all three companies had since improved their systems and processes to “make sure this doesn’t

happen again” and had met their targets in the two years since the breach. Article continues below Ofgem’s rules require gas distribution network operators (GDNs), which manage and maintain

the network that delivers gas to homes and businesses, to attend reports of suspected gas leaks within one or two hours, depending on the circumstances of the incident, in 97% of cases. An

investigation was opened by the regulator after the GDNs involved self-reported, in advance of submitting figures formally, that they had missed the targets between 2022-2023. After

admitting the breach, and in acknowledgement of the potentially serious risk to the public in failing to meet these targets, the three companies have now voluntarily agreed to pay a total of

£8 million to Ofgem’s Energy Industry Voluntary Redress Fund (EIVRF), which funds projects and schemes to support energy consumers, particularly those in vulnerable situations. Article

continues below “We take compliance with our rules incredibly seriously, and as demonstrated with this case, will not hesitate to take action when companies fail to meet their obligations

across the board,” Ms Scott added.