Across the North West, gas flows underground through a labyrinth of pipes, some of which are up to 100 years old.
Leaks are detected by driving over or near to the pipes in a car fitted with sensors and GPS tracking.
“If there was a leak, it would set an alarm off,” explains the vehicle’s driver Paul McLernon.
Cadent’s regional head of safety and engineering Nick Jerman explains that the car helps them to “understand the health of our pipelines”.
With 28,000 miles of pipes, it is a big job.
“So far this year, we’ve covered just over half of the network and we’re aiming to get the rest done by March 2027,” says Jerman.
Last year in the region, Cadent received 67,000 reports of potentially lethal gas leaks.
“Nothing is a waste of our time,” engineer Steve Addinall tells me before adding that he usually deals with “four or five” callouts each day.
“I’d rather turn up to a job and find nothing than find something that could put you in a dangerous situation,” he says.
Recalling a visit to an elderly woman in Manchester, he says speed is of the essence.
“It turns out she’d left the gas hobs on, filling the house full of gas.
“We isolated that risk and got her out of the property. If we hadn’t done that, it could have been catastrophic.”
If you smell gas, you should call Cadent on 0800 111 999 and wait for an engineer. Cadent recommends turning off your gas supply and open doors and windows. Lights and other electrical devices should not be turned on.