Sheffield Council throws Christmas party for residents in Stannington left without gas during cold snap

More than 100 people came together for the Stannington and Malin Bridge Christmas party at the community centre, on Myers Grove Lane, between 5pm and 7pm on Thursday (Dec 22). Games were played, food was shared, entertainment was enjoyed and people shared their experience of the recent major incident. It was organised by the local area committee which has a budget to spend on the community.

Councillor Shaffaq Mohammed, leader of Sheffield Liberal Democrats, who went along said it was fantastic to see smiles back on people’s faces ahead of Christmas.

He said: “I’m really grateful to the council and local area committees for organising a party. Lots of young families turned up and grandparents. It’s the least we could have done for that community. It was great for the Stannington community having gone through all that heartache and pain to have the opportunity to come together to smile. It was fantastic to see.”

Sheffield Council declared a major incident in the area when up to 2,000 homes were left without heating or cooking facilities for nearly a fortnight earlier this month.

It happened when more than 400,000 litres of water from a burst pipe leaked into the gas main.

Every property hit by the incident got their supply back by December 16, it was reported.

Cadent Gas said it was a “monumental effort” with staff working day and night over two weeks in freezing temperatures.