New Gas Safe campaign explains what happens ‘When the Gas Goes’

Actor Will Mellor has partnered with Gas Safe Register to help educate the nation about gas safety in the home.

A tongue-in-cheek public service announcement-style film released today – and narrated by Mellor, best known for his roles in TV drama Mr Bates vs The Post Office, as well as Two Pints of Lager and Hollyoaks – shows the consequences and impact on people’s day-to-day lives ‘when the gas goes’ at home.

Launching as Gas Safety Week gets underway across the UK (9-15 September), the film reminds householders of the importance of getting their gas appliances safety checked annually so as to avoid any scenarios where faulty appliances can lead to bigger inconveniences. The films depicts not being able to shower ahead of an important job interview and being left in the cold without heating after coming back from holiday.

Gas Safe Register has commissioned supporting research that reveals queue pushers (44 per cent), poor Wi-Fi (39 per cent), and boiler breakdowns (37 per cent) are the three top inconveniences in life, according to a recent OnePoll Survey. The poll of 2,000 UK adults found 25 per cent agreed their boiler always seems to break down at the worst possible time – and it even happened to Will.

He said: “Why does it always feel like things go wrong at the worst moment? I’ve been caught out myself, coming back from a holiday to find out the boiler had packed in. It was bloomin’ baltic! Have to admit, I didn’t realise you needed to get all of your gas appliances safety checked once a year, but now I know why staying on top of this is so important. You’ll be less likely to run into issues and any faults can be fixed before they become more expensive problems.”

The research also revealed that more than one in three (40 per cent) agree something always seems to break at home at a time when they can’t afford to get it fixed, serviced, or replaced – and 36 per cent felt these daily inconveniences have a knock-on effect for the rest of the day.

More than two-thirds (67 per cent) agreed that being a little more organised ahead of time can help avoid most inconveniences in life. Yet 22 per cent of UK homeowners have not had their gas appliances serviced in the past year to ensure they are safe and working correctly.

Gas Safe Register is urging UK households to ensure their gas appliances are safety checked every year by a Gas Safe registered engineer. It comes as the Register’s latest inspection data reveals one in five UK homes have an unsafe gas appliance.

Rob Denman, Head of Professional and Field Services at Gas Safe Register, added: “Small inconveniences really can put a dampener on your day. However, being prepared in advance can help reduce the changes of issues occurring – as has been indicated by the research. This is especially the case with our gas appliances which are so important for our daily routines.

“Getting an annual gas safety check can help minimise potential disruption to your household. It is a small investment that could save you thousands in repair bills further down the line, should something go wrong. More importantly, it gives you peace of mind that they’re in safe working order.”