SGN has donated thousands of pounds after 1,300 Tooting residents were left without gas after its network was flooded.

Gas supplies were first lost in the area on March 6 and were only fully operational again on March 19.

As a result, the gas distribution company has donated £5,000 to St George's Hospital and an additional £3,000 to Wandsworth Foodbank.

Glenn Norman, the company's director of operations (south), said: “When a third party damaged our gas network in Tooting, water flooded our pipes which affected gas supplies to more than 1,300 local properties.

“It was a highly complex engineering operation to remove all the water and sludge from our pipes and restore gas supplies. In some areas, we had to completely replace pipes and gas meters because they had been so badly blocked by the sludge.

"We had over 100 engineers on the ground each day, drafted in from across the south of England. They pumped out over 115,000 litres of water from our gas pipes using syphon tankers operating day and night.”

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A letter written to an SGN staff member

“We appreciate it wasn’t easy for people to be without their gas supply and we are very grateful for the tremendous support we received from the Tooting community. Our engineers were particularly grateful for the ‘thank you’ card and chocolates that one young resident handed them after her family’s gas supply was restored.”

The donation of £5,000 to St George’s Hospital was offered because the majority of the properties that were without gas for the longest were apartments for NHS workers.

Many of those who were affected are front-line NHS staff and students.

Doctor Rosena Allin-Khan, MP for Tooting said: “I’m glad Southern Gas Network have agreed to donate this money to St George’s Hospital A&E department, and to Wandsworth Food Bank.

"I know it won’t make up for the problems and discomfort caused to many people by the serious disruption to the gas network, but the money will be put to good use and will help those in need.

"As many of the worst-affected buildings were apartments for NHS workers, the donation to the hospital is particularly appropriate."