The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Rural route closes after gas leak
A gas leak shut down a rural Perthshire road. SGN told Police Scotland to close off the A926 Alyth to Blairgowrie, as engineers battled to fix a broken high pressure pipeline.
The company said it was prepared to work through the night in an effort to get the route reopened before this morning’s rush hour.
Commuter traffic on Wednesday evening faced 15 minute detours and delays of nearly an hour.
SGN spokesman Bradley Barlow said: “We’re carrying out urgent repairs to our gas main in the A926.
“To keep everyone safe, we’ve temporarily closed the A926 between Alyth and Blairgowrie. A signed diversion is in place.”
He added: “Our engineers will work through the night to complete our repairs and we hope to reopen the road before Thursday morning.”
A Perth and Kinross Council spokeswoman said: “The A926 Alyth – Blairgowrie road is currently closed just east of Blacklaw Brae (The Halfway House), due to a gas leak, and will remain closed overnight.
“It is hoped the road will reopen during tomorrow with traffic signals in operation. Sorry for any inconvenience as a result.”
Parents have been warned that school bus services from Alyth to Blairgowrie High and St Johns Academy in Perth will be running, but were likely to be hit by delays.
Police were called to the scene just before 4pm. A spokesman said the leak was the result of a faulty “high pressure gas valve.”
He added: “We have been asked to close the road for the safety of the public.”
Police roadblocks have been stationed around the closure zone and diversion signs are in place. Queues of traffic are being re-routed via Meigle and Coupar Angus.