Warrnambool station officer Troy Cleverley said the leak occurred when the owner hit a domestic gas appliance which was connected from the street to a new house in Russell Street in Dennington. 

Mr Cleverley said the line was damaged when the owner used a mini excavator to put in a new letterbox on the property.

He said the CFA was called at 11.36am with three units attending, while three police units controlled traffic at the scene. 

Mr Cleverley said CFA handed the scene over to the gas company at 12.20pm to repair the damaged service line. 

“It’s a timely reminder to dial before you dig to avoid the heartache of disrupting emergency services,” Mr Cleverley said.

“You might think you know where your services are, but as evidenced in this instance the owner thought he knew where the services were and has hit the line.”