TRADERS are demanding to know why pipes which have caused a series of gas leaks are not being replaced.

An area of the pavement and road in Snakes Lane East, Woodford Green between Prospect Road and Theydon Grove was dug up on Monday, following reports of a strong smell of gas.

Workers are on the scene patching up the pipe, but frustrated shopkeepers claim this is just the latest in a series of repairs which they say is damaging business.

Colin Thompson, 47, who runs Carpet Crazy, said: “They dig up this road every three months.

“It’s very frustrating because none of our customers can park while they are here and all the shops know that once they start digging they’ll be here for a while.”

Mr Thompson says workmen have told him the pipe can’t be replaced because it is too expensive.

That claim was backed up by several other traders, including Simon Reynolds, 53, who runs the Allsorts general store.

He said: “I have been here 16 years and I could write a book on this.

“Someone smells gas. They come out and patch it up, and then it all happens again.

“All the guys working on it will tell you it’s just a temporary solution, but we need a permanent fix because everyone along here loses business whenever they dig the road up.”

Usman Khan, 32, is the manager of Clean as a Whistle Dry Cleaners.

He says his takings drop by as much as 50 percent when the works take place.

“A lot of my customers end up parking in roads where they get tickets when this happens because it is impossible to stop by the shop. When that happens, they don’t want to come back.

“These pipes need to be changed permanently, because times are hard enough for businesses at the moment as it is.”

Some traders are also worried there could be an explosion unless the ageing pipes are replaced.

A leak earlier this year outside the His and Her beauty salon, forced the business to close for two days while workmen dug up the pavement outside the shop.

Manager Sunna Javid, 21, said: “The smell of gas was really strong so they told us to close the shop.

“We were shut for two days and lost a lot of business.

“They did compensate us, but it didn’t make up for what we lost.

“When we returned, nobody could get into the shop because there was still a hole outside the door.”

A spokesman for National Grid, said: "A gas escape was reported on Monday. Our engineers subsequently investigated the matter and have been carrying out repairs.

"We hope all work will be complete by tomorrow (Friday).

"We are sorry for any inconvenience people experienced as a result of the work but the repairs had to be carried out to ensure safe and reliable gas supplies.

"National Grid is currently carrying out a national programme of gas mains replacement which is agreed in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive.

"Eligibility for replacement is calculated on a risk score basis which takes into account factors such as proximity to properties and basements.

"So far this stretch of gas mains has not met the criteria for replacement but the situation is being kept under review so it may be considered for future replacement."

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