A couple got a nasty shock when they had a smart meter installed – and their gas cooker was condemned in the process.
David and Conise Lockwood, of Mount, said other householders needed to be aware that their gas appliances will be inspected when an engineer calls to fit the new-style meters – and that an appliance such as gas fire, cooker or boiler could be “capped off” on the spot if it was deemed faulty.
Mr Lockwood said the couple had arranged for British Gas to replace their existing meter with a smart meter – but while he was there, the engineer condemned their 22-year-old Rangemaster 55 gas cooker, saying he had to “ID” it. ID stands for Immediate Danger.
The problem was that an automatic cut-out which should cut off gas to the hob when the glass lid on the cooker is down was not working.
Mr Lockwood said: “I told him we were hardly likely to keep the lid down with one of the rings lit. I said if the problem was the lid, why couldn’t we remove it and solve the problem? But he said we couldn’t do that because of safety regulations. I’d even got my screwdriver to take the lid off, but he said ‘You can’t do that!’”
Mr Lockwood said the engineer told him that if he didn’t cap off the cooker, he would have to get Northern Gas Networks (NGN) to cut off the gas supply to the house from the road.
To compound their problems, the engineer then found a gas leak in the cellar. A team fron NGN had to be called and used special equipment to seal the leak.
The Lockwoods had to fork out more than £400 for a new gas cooker, which they had fitted by a gas safety registered plumber.
Mr Lockwood said: “Other people could find their gas cooker doesn’t meet current regulations and be cut of in an instant. People should be given 24 or 48 hours’ notice to put it right. Just to cut it off like that is a bit dramatic. What would happen if it was some poor little old lady in the middle of winter? It seems heavy-handed.”
Leigh Franks, a spokesperson for British Gas, said: “We take our customers’ safety extremely seriously. Our engineers follow legal requirements to close down appliances that are unsafe.
“However, we should have organised for a service and repair engineer to come and look at Mr Lockwood’s cooker. We’ve investigated why this didn’t happen. We’re calling Mr Lockwood to apologise and to offer him a goodwill gesture.”
Smart meters are the new generation of gas and electricity meters being rolled out across Great Britain. They show the consumer how much energy is being used in pounds and pence, in near real time and bring an end to estimated bills.
By the end of 2020, about 53m smart meters will be fitted in more than 30m households and businesses across Great Britain.
