The UK gas distribution networks
Whoever you buy gas from, one network owns the pipes that bring it to your meter. Great Britain has four: Cadent, SGN, Northern Gas Networks and Wales and West Utilities. Northern Ireland runs separately, with three networks of its own. Tap the map to find the one that delivers your gas.
Tap a flame for its network, or a landmass to find yours.
In short: a gas distribution network owns and maintains the pipes that carry gas to your meter, and it is fixed by your address, not by your supplier. Great Britain is split between four networks, Cadent, SGN, Northern Gas Networks and Wales and West Utilities. Northern Ireland is separate again, with three networks of its own and a different emergency number.
Your network is the company you call about a new connection, a damaged pipe or a gas leak, never your supplier. In Great Britain, every gas emergency goes to the same free 24-hour line, 0800 111 999. Northern Ireland has its own free emergency line, 0800 002 001. This hub maps who owns the pipes across the UK and links to the full guide for each network.
Five networks, one country
Which network delivers your gas
Your network is set by your postcode, not your supplier. Open the guide for the one that covers your area.
Largest GDN
Cadent
Covers North West, West Midlands, East of England and North London.
The biggest UK gas distribution network, with around 11 million properties across four separate regions.
Read the guideScotland and the South
SGN
Covers Scotland and the South of England.
Scotia Gas Networks moves gas from Brighton up to John o’Groats, with roughly 5.9 million connections.
Read the guideNorth and Cumbria
Northern Gas Networks
Covers the North of England and Cumbria.
Distributes gas to around 2.7 million properties across the North of England, Yorkshire and Cumbria.
Read the guideWales and South West
Wales and West Utilities
Covers Wales and the South West of England.
The smallest of the four GB GDNs by customer numbers, with around 2.5 million homes and businesses connected.
Read the guideThree separate networks
Northern Ireland
Covers Greater Belfast, the Ten Towns and the West.
Not one network but three: Phoenix Energy, firmus energy and SGN Natural Gas, regulated by the Utility Regulator, not Ofgem.
Read the guideLast updated: July 2026. Network ownership and licence boundaries change. Always confirm directly with the operator for your postcode.
If you smell gas, call the emergency line
The emergency service is free and answered 24 hours a day, every day. It is run by the networks, not your supplier, and the right number depends on where you are.
Great Britain
0800 111 999
Northern Ireland
0800 002 001
- Open doors and windows to let the gas escape;
- turn off the gas at the meter if it is safe to do so;
- do not use light switches, naked flames or anything that could cause a spark;
- leave the property and call the emergency line from outside.
UK gas networks FAQ
The Selectra expert answers your questions
A gas distribution network (GDN) owns and operates the pipes that carry gas from the high-pressure transmission system to your meter. It maintains those pipes, connects new properties and responds to leaks. It does not sell you gas or send your bill: a separate supplier does that.
Your network is fixed by your address. In Great Britain it is one of four: Cadent, SGN, Northern Gas Networks or Wales and West Utilities. In Northern Ireland it is Phoenix Energy, firmus energy or SGN Natural Gas. Use the map above, or our who is my gas network guide to look it up by postcode.
Yes. Northern Ireland has three separate gas networks rather than being part of the four GB GDNs, gas only arrived in 1996, and the market is overseen by the Utility Regulator, not Ofgem. The emergency number is also different: 0800 002 001 in Northern Ireland, against 0800 111 999 in Great Britain.
In Great Britain, call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999. In Northern Ireland, call 0800 002 001. Both are free, open 24 hours a day, and work whoever your supplier is. Leave the building, do not operate electrical switches, and call from outside.
More on UK energy networks
Who is my gas network?
Look up the network that owns the pipes at your postcode.
Independent Gas Transporters (IGTs)
The networks that own the gas pipes on most new-build estates.
Electricity distribution
The DNOs that own the wires to your home, on an interactive UK map.
Gas network overview
How suppliers, distributors and transmission fit together.