North Wales Duo Celebrate Career Landmark

Two north Wales managers are celebrating after each clocking up 40 years of working in the gas industry.

Wrexham’s Peter Hughes and Steve Watts, from Llangollen, both work for gas emergency and pipeline service, Wales & West Utilities, and are celebrating the career milestone after starting work on the same day during 1976.

Both transferred to Wales & West Utilities when the company was formed in 2005 and have played pivotal roles in the company’s operations in north Wales.

Peter, an Operational Manager covering Wrexham, and Steve, a Senior Operational Manager for North and Mid Wales, are part of the companies Build & Repair team that maintain existing gas equipment and lay new gas supply pipes to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.

Peter, originally from Johnstown and age 57, said: “I’m delighted to have reached such a milestone in my career. On a daily basis I work alongside my team to make sure that homes and businesses across Wrexham continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply – and that we deliver the outstanding levels of service our customers expect.

“Forty years is a long career but I still enjoy it as much as I ever did – and I’m not ready to give up just yet.”

Steve said: “It really doesn’t seem like 40 years have passed since we started working – but on the other hand, the change in the industry has been dramatic, particularly with the equipment we use.

“A gas engineer in 2016 is just as likely to use a smartphone as a shovel. But our priorities have always been the same – keeping the gas flowing, our customers and colleagues safe and make sure our costs and contribution to our customers’ bills is as low as possible.”

Wales & West Utilities Area Engineering Manager for Wales Andrew Gwilym added: “Steve and Peter are essential members of our team in north Wales. We’re proud of the work they do to keep the communities we serve safe and warm – and we’re glad that they’ll be with us for a little while yet, passing their experience on to our managers of the future.

“We’d like to congratulate them on reaching a significant milestone and thank them for their continued hard work.”

Wales & West Utilities has a team of more than 1000 trained and experienced engineers to help serve the 7.5m people across the south west of England and Wales that rely on its gas emergency and pipeline services.

If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call Wales & West Utilities on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.