Keeping Cheshire’s Gas Flowing Safely

Cadent’s Head of Asset Management for the North West, Matt Goode, joined Smithy and co-host Ian at breakfast on Mix 56 to chat about the vital work underground that keeps our homes warm and kitchens cooking.

With Cadent vans a common sight across Cheshire, Matt explained the massive infrastructure supporting our daily gas needs.

Underground Network Essentials

Cadent manages hundreds of kilometers of pipelines buried under roads and properties, delivering gas at low pressure to homes for heating, hot water, and cooking.

These pipes have lifespans affected by soil conditions, so Matt’s team selects and replaces the right ones—every road dig has purpose for this critical national infrastructure.

Smell gas or carbon monoxide? Dial 0800 111 999—it’s the easy national emergency line routing to Cadent’s Midlands center for a rapid response within the hour.

This year alone, they’re replacing 46km of pipeline in the Cheshire area and 400km across the whole North West, backed by a huge workforce and a 30-year mains replacement programme.

Cutting-Edge Tech and Greener Gas

Robots now enter pipes to repair joints and inject sealants, while new “sniffers” (rolling out over the next year) proactively detect emissions—less reliance on public reports.

Plastics outperform metals for longevity underground, and biomethane from waste is injected network-wide, providing greener gas as Cadent pushes toward fossil fuel transition and leak reductions.

Cadent owns and maintains the pipes—like Network Rail for trains—but gas suppliers provide the fuel itself.

River Feats and Community Commitment

In 2018 at Didsbury/Cheadle, Matt led a project diverting the migrating River Mersey to safeguard a key Manchester-feeding pipeline (and Network Rail assets), using diversions for safe work while protecting salmon and sand martins—no shutting off the river!

With ~1,000 North West staff plus contractors, Cadent fosters inclusion via groups like Embrace (race/religion), Pride, Thrive (disability), military support, women in Cadent and a men’s mental health network tackling isolation for solo field engineers. National Inclusion Week simulated disabilities around streetworks to ensure wheelchair and visually impaired access.

Shoutout to Matt’s older brother Ben, delivering major North West projects at Cadent—family affair!

Big thanks to Matt and Cadent for the chat and Mix 56 support.

Stay safe: smell gas? The number you need is: 0800 111 999.