University of Wolverhampton shuts campus after gas leak reports

The University of Wolverhampton's Walsall campus was temporarily closed

A university was forced to temporarily shut a campus after the fire service got multiple reports of a gas leak.

The University of Wolverhampton confirmed it closed its Walsall campus on Monday to carry out investigations.

The closure came amid reports of a "strong smell of gas" across Walsall, Wednesbury and Tipton.

The campus has since been cleared to reopen on Tuesday after no safety issues were found.

On social media, the university said: "All students who live on campus can return and access their accommodation this afternoon as normal.

"We thank you for your patience and apologise for any inconvenience."

West Midlands Fire Service said they received "a number of calls" since 11:50 GMT from people who said they could smell gas across all three areas.

'No evidence of issues'

Cadent Gas has since said it has not found any evidence "of any issue on the gas network that would cause this".

Elliott Nelson, network director for Cadent in the West Midlands, said: "We've had a larger than usual number of calls today from Wednesbury, Walsall, Tipton and surrounding areas, about a smell that people were concerned is natural gas.

"We investigate each one and, as yet, have not found any evidence of an issue on the gas network that could have caused this.

"We do get incidents like this from time to time. In the past, we have traced it to things like factory discharges, aviation fuel and many other reasons."

Cadent urged people to ring the National Gas Emergency service on 0800 111 999 if they smell gas, suspect the presence of carbon monoxide or notice damage to gas pipes.