Work to repair a gas main after a major leak, which caused a section of the Great Western Way to be shut yesterday, has been completed.

Just after 9.30am yesterday an exposed pipe was found to be leaking gas so the carriageway, between Bruce Street Bridges and North Star, was closed for much of the day in both directions to allow repairs to be carried out.

At 3.30pm the road was re-opened with workers returning later to finish the work, although there were no more closures. Everything was completed by 10pm.

Wales & West Utilities issued a statement saying: “We were alerted to reports of the smell of gas on Great Western Way, Swindon, this morning [Tuesday] and immediately sent engineers to investigate.

“On arrival, they found contractors working in the area had damaged part of the gas network.

"Our engineers made the leak safe and carried out a temporary repair to make sure that Great Western Way was open to traffic during the busiest part of the day.

“We have several gas mains on Great Western Way and have been in contact with the contractors working here regarding the ownership of a cast iron pipe in their working area. We were scheduled to visit site today [Tuesday] to investigate and confirm the status of this pipe.

"The pipe that was damaged is not this pipe, but a gas pipe in the vicinity, that was marked as such on plans of our gas network.

“Our engineers will now work through the night to complete a permanent repair.”

If anyone smells gas, they should call the National Gas Emergency Service on 0800 111 999.