Some people have been puzzled by the traffic cones blocking off a stretch of Wilsham Road that’s usually used for free parking by people walking into town. One motorist asked me today what was happening, especially as the cones have been there for two or three weeks with no sign of work.

The answer is on the windscreens of a few cars that haven’t moved since the weekend. Notices say that essential gas works will take place from 1st to 14th December, and there will be no parking on Wilsham Road between Preston Road and Caldecott Road during that time.

These works are part of SGN’s ongoing programme to replace aging metal gas mains in Abingdon, something I first covered here in 2023. The old pipes are being replaced by plastic ones expected to last around 80 years. Presumably the new pipes will also allow the transition from natural gas to hydrogen, a project SGN are trying out in Fife, Scotland.