Gas leak closes major Levin intersection

Two Levin fire trucks attended the gas leak.

lvn040320gas1: Firefighters pour water over the gas leak at the intersection of Queen Street and Cambridge Street.
lvn040320gas2: Two Levin fire trucks attended the gas leak.

A gas leak blocked off one of the busiest roads in Levin on Monday.

Emergency services blocked off all four entry points to the roundabout at the intersection of Queen Street and Cambridge Street just after lunchtime.

The road remained closed as contractors and emergency services worked to fix the leak.

The roundabout is currently undergoing significant roadworks as pipe and a contractor working in a digger accidentally struck a gas pipe shortly after 12.30pm.

Soon after there was a pungent smell of gas coming from the site and nearby business Tony's Tyre Service and Pak'n Save were evacuated, although some other neighbouring businesses like Farmlands did not.

Pak'nSave duty manager Pam Gartner said they shut the doors to customers for an hour, but workers were continuing to stock shelves.

"We can't smell any gas," she said.

Firefighters pour water over the gas leak at the intersection of Queen Street and Cambridge Street.

Farmlands worker Andrew Parkin said he couldn't smell anything unusual either, although there were several pedestrians further up Queen Street who reported a strong smell of gas.

Two fire crews poured water on the site before contractors began working. At 3.10pm the roundabout was still partially closed.

It is Levin's busiest roundabout. In November last year, Horowhenua District Council temporarily removed the roundabout at the intersection to renew water pipes.