NORTH Cumbria's gas distributor, Northern Gas Networks (NGN) has launched its winter readiness campaign amid the growing cost-of-living crisis.

The company, which transports gas to over 2.7million homes and businesses across the North East, nothern Cumbria, and Yorkshire, is predicting a 'tough winter' for its customers.

To combat this, NGN is urging its users to to follow their 'prepare-care-share' mantra as the cold weather approaches.

The mantra is as follows.

"Prepare: Check the batteries in your audible carbon monoxide alarm, get your gas appliances serviced ahead of the colder months.

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"Care: Check on neighbours, family and friends. 

"Share: Make sure neighbours, family and friends are aware of the National Gas Emergency Service phone number – 0800 111 999."

Last year NGN replaced 565km of metal gas mains to keep the network in prime condition during the colder months.

However, this year with the added pressure of the cost-of-living crisis, NGN are also stepping up their ability to repsond to emergencies quickly, something which NGN's customer experience director, Eileen Brown highlighted

She said: “Being winter-ready is something we encourage every year but there is general acknowledgement that this is likely to be a particularly difficult period, especially for our most vulnerable customers.

“We’re always on hand to lend support where it’s needed and to respond quickly to emergencies, but there are a lot of things people can do now, while the weather is still quite mild, to prepare themselves for the colder months."

Ms Brown also urged people to follow their 'prepare-share-care' guidance to ensure saftety this winter.

She said: “It’s simple steps – saving the National Gas Emergency Service number into a phone, checking your audible carbon monoxide alarm batteries are working, and getting your gas appliances serviced – that are so important, and that we can all take to stay safe this winter.

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