It was by great good fortune that a family member of one of the residents was able to make the gas installation safe after the mindless theft of external gas piping on the 22nd/23rd July. After their recent warning on metal thefts, I trust that South Wales Police are taking this dangerous criminal act very seriously.

I was able to inspect the damage at the rear of the flats a few days after it occurred, before I left for a rare and long-planned holiday. I was also able to discuss the repairs with the man from Colin Laver and glad to see on my return that they had been completed.

However, I am concerned that the restoration of the gas supply was not treated as urgent by NPT Homes and it appears to have needed a hurry-up call from me on the Monday morning to get things moving. Residents were without gas for two days longer than they should have been. If the weather had not been so warm, the well-being of many would have been jeopardised.

I have written to the council’s legal department to see if anything can be done about access from woodland which the thieves clearly used to approach the flats unobserved. I have also recommended to NPT Homes that they box in the pipes which will make the pipes less obvious and at least provide an extra obstacle to thieves.

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