Emergency services attended at Griffiths Street after an excavator struck a pipe carrying natural gas.
A MISSION to repair a water leak accidentally resulted in a gas leak in Port Fairy yesterday.
Emergency services were called to Griffiths Street after an excavator working on behalf of a water authority struck a pipe carrying natural gas to the East Beach area.
Leading Senior Constable Chris Carr, of Port Fairy police, said the incident happened about 1.30pm despite every effort being made to check there were no gas pipes in the immediate area.
“Quite often the plans aren’t totally accurate as to where the pipes and trenches are,” Leading Senior Constable Carr said.
“They thought they were well clear, according to plans.”
He said the natural gas in the pipes was lighter than air so it rose and dispersed quickly, making the situation potentially less volatile than if it had involved LPG.
“And because there was water leaking it acted as a dampening spray, so the gas and fire experts at the scene said there was a very low risk of any explosion or great danger,” Leading Senior Constable Carr said.
As a precaution, nearby residents were notified and the southern end of Griffiths Street was blocked to traffic for about an hour.
No one was evacuated, but Leading Senior Constable Carr said some residences in the area may have been inconvenienced by the disruption in gas supply.
Police, CFA and gas and electricity company representatives attended.
The leak was closed about 3pm and repairs will be ongoing.