THE company responsible for parts of York’s underground gas network has said there is no danger from leaking pipes next to a city primary school.

United Utilities said that a manhole cover next to Poppleton Road Primary School had been lifted to allow gas which was leaking into an underground maintenance chamber to vent in to the atmosphere.

The reassurances came after complaints from nearby resident Chris Mangham, who said plastic barriers over the manholes had been in place since December and no work undertaken to solve the problem. He said: “They get blown down and people run the risk of falling over them. I regularly see them knocked down for one reason or another.”

Mr Mangham also said he could smell gas in the area. He said: “If there is a gas leak in the area, then are you going to repair it? If you are, then get on with it.”

United Utilities has also been contacted by Holgate ward councillor Denise Bowgett.

She said: “The barriers are an inconvenience for people, but the issue is clearly one of safety and I would like someone to reassure me that something is going to be done.”

United Utilities’ Gwen Evans said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience our work on Poppleton Road in York may be causing.

“We have opened the manhole cover on a telecoms maintenance chamber as it is being affected by the gas escape. This is allowing the gas to vent safely into the air, we have done this in order to prevent a potentially dangerous build up of gas inside the chamber.

“This may mean that people occasionally smell gas in the area, but we would like to reassure them that there is no impact on public health or safety.”

She said the problem came to light after dealing with a gas escape at a property in Poppleton Road on January 9, and a number of excavations were dug nearby to monitor the problem. She said: “Our repair work has been delayed by the council, who have asked us to wait until they have completed their own works further up the road. “This delay does not present any danger to the public. We anticipate being in a position to carry out the repair work soon and will endeavour to keep the local community informed.”

City of York Counil said it had asked United Utilities to delay completion of the work until current work at nearby Water End was finished.

The council said that the works would have been carried out straight away if there had been any danger to the public.