Edinburgh suspected gas leak closes vital road link Kingsknowe Road North with residents praising SGN

SGN contractors were on the scene in the Longstone area shortly after 9am yesterday, Thursday, January 9, and left at around 10.30am this morning, Friday, January 10.

SGN workers on the scene at the suspected gas leak at Kingsknowe Road North in Edinburgh on the morning of Friday, January 10. | National World

Kingsknowe Road North, which links Longstone and Kingsknowe, was closed at the junction with Redhall Road from yesterday morning, with the road now re-opened.

Posting on X at around 3pm on Thursday, SGN said: “We're responding to a reported gas escape in Kingsknowe Road North, Edinburgh, at its junction with Redhall Road.

“Emergency repairs are required and the road has been fully closed between Kingsknowe Road South and Redhall Gardens to ensure everyone's safety while we work.”

The vital road link at Kingsknowe Road North in Longstone was closed for around 24 hours. | National World

Local residents told the Evening News that they were delighted with the response from SGN, and despite the road closure they were pleased workers were on site for more than 24 hours as “safety comes first”.

One local man said: “There was a smell of gas yesterday morning at about 9am and the gas people were on-site by half past. They were going in to all the local houses and checking for gas. They were in my house for just a matter of minutes.

“They were very good at contacting us and keeping us updated. I’m quite happy with how they handled the situation. At the end of the day it’s safety first.”

SGN workers pictured packing up and getting ready to leave and re-open Kingsknowe Road North on Friday morning. | National World

While, a local woman added: “They came and checked my house yesterday morning. They checked everything, all the vents and pipes etc. They were here for about five minutes.

“Safety is the priority over everything. It has to come first. You hear about other such incidents, gas explosions at homes, including the Baberton one last year. So it’s best to be safe.

“We felt better and safer after the SGN workers had been and checked our house and I’m just glad everything is ok.”

SGN spokesperson Waseem Hanif said: “We completed repairs to the gas leak in Kingsknowe Road North, Edinburgh, and reopened the road.

“We’re now carrying out some final reinstatement work to restore any surfaces where we needed to dig.

“We’d like to thank local residents and motorists for your patience and support while we worked to repair the gas network.”