Angry Battersea residents are demanding compensation over a massive gas leak which left them homeless for nearly 24 hours.

Southern Gas Networks evacuated Kite House in Meyrick Road last month and kept the occupants in a cold community centre with no food.

At the time, the company claimed meals were provided and did not reveal to the Wandsworth Guardian how long the operation took.

However, after our report of the incident appeared online, our office was barraged with calls from residents complaining of how they were treated.

Becky Wilcock, a 24-year-old management consultant, said: “We were left there all night. We weren’t given information. We weren’t given food. Then people were sitting in that community centre all day.

“I was absolutely fuming. We were treated so appallingly, they should have put us up.”

One man, 25-year-old Ashley Hammond, missed his first day of law school and went without food because his wallet was still in his room.

Others were forced to take annual leave when they missed a day of work.

One woman claimed that when she returned to her flat, the door had been left wide open for ventilation even though the police had gone.

The disruption was all the more infuriating because the flats in Kite House are not even powered by gas.

The evacuation took place at 10.40pm on Sunday, September 13, and residents were allowed back in at 10pm the next day.

When asked why the full length of the evacuation was not made clear from the start, Southern Gas Networks spokesman Morvan Smith said: “I can’t dispute that. If I forgot to say it, I forgot to say it.”

She said police were on site at all times but she had been misinformed on the food issue - it was not deemed necessary to feed people as they had their own food.

Hotel accommodation was not provided because it was uncertain how long the job would take - and officers reportedly did their best to relay information back to residents.

Compensation claims will be discussed on a case-by-case basis. To contact the company, call 0845 070 1431.

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