One thing we pride ourselves on at PLCS is our ability to come up with a rapid and effective solution in an emergency situation.
In the last few weeks, our response and initiative was tested again following a call from a GDN to report that a JCB being used by a contractor to clear Japanese Knotweed from a railway embankment in a public recreation area hit and badly damaged the tee piece protruding from a major gas main, resulting in three separate escapes.
The early-morning call for help came as PLCS Technical Manager Mark Perry was driving to work. Mark and colleague Mark Cartwright arrived on site that same day to meet two senior GDN engineers.
Work started immediately to manufacture bespoke moulds
The damage was to two joints and the tee on the 18” off 18” unit. Detailed measurements were taken and work was started almost immediately to manufacture two bespoke polyurethane-coated nylon moulds for each of the joints and a metal case to seal the escape from the main valve.
At 8.30 the following morning, a team of five from PLCS arrived on site and manoeuvred the repairs kits and materials from the roadway down to embankment to the repair site. The repairs were successfully completed by 2.00pm that day with the metal case involving 224 litres of encapsulant.
Manager Mark Perry commented:
It’s immensely important to us that our clients know that they can depend on us to respond quickly to such situations and deliver professional, permanent solutions
The PLCS team fitting the metal casing were Alan Clarke, James Poole, Ross Fairley, Chris Derby and Mark Cartwright. The fabric repair kits were fitted by Chris Derby and Alan Clarke.
