What to Do If You Smell Gas Near Your Meter
Every year thousands of UK households smell gas near their meter and don’t know what to do.
If you can smell gas near your meter, treat it as an emergency. Don’t wait to see if it gets worse. Follow these steps immediately.
Act now — the emergency number is:
📞 National Gas Emergency Service: 0800 111 999
Free to call. Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is the number to call whether you rent or own your home — it covers all domestic properties in the UK.
What to do right now
- Don’t operate any electrical switches — don’t turn lights on or off, don’t use sockets
- Don’t use any naked flames — no matches, lighters or candles
- Don’t smoke
- Open windows and doors to ventilate the property if it’s safe to do so
- Turn off the gas supply at the emergency control valve if you know where it is and it’s safe to reach
- Leave the property and move away from the building
- Call 0800 111 999 from outside or from a neighbour’s phone
What not to do
- Don’t go back inside until you’re told it’s safe
- Don’t attempt to find or fix the leak yourself
- Don’t use your mobile phone inside the property
- Don’t turn the gas back on yourself after an emergency
What happens when you call 0800 111 999?
The National Gas Emergency Service will send a Gas Safe registered engineer to your property — usually within the hour. They will:
- Assess the situation safely
- Identify the source of the gas smell
- Make the property safe
- Advise on any repairs needed
This service is free. You will not be charged for the emergency call out.
What if the smell is faint or comes and goes?
Don’t assume a faint smell is nothing. Gas leaks can be intermittent and still dangerous. Treat any smell of gas as a potential emergency and call 0800 111 999 — the engineers would always rather investigate and find nothing than not be called at all.
What if the smell is outside near the meter box?
An external gas smell near your meter box or on your street should also be reported to the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. Gas network faults are their responsibility regardless of where the smell is coming from.
After the emergency is resolved
Once your property has been made safe, your supplier may need to arrange repairs or a meter replacement. If your supplier is slow to act on any follow-up work needed, you have the right to escalate formally.
When your gas meter must be replaced by law →
Related help:
- Smart gas meter problems explained (hub)
- Gas meter making noise — what’s normal and what’s not
- When your gas meter must be replaced by law
- Gas meter error codes — what they mean
All advice on SmartMeterHelp is independent. We’re not affiliated with any energy supplier.