Wrexham manager celebrates 40 years of service in the gas industry

A Wrexham man is celebrating after clocking up an impressive 40 years of service in the gas industry.

David Collins works for gas emergency and pipeline service Wales & West Utilities. As a teenager he wanted to join the Royal Navy but undeterred after failing a medical test applied for an apprenticeship in the gas industry and hasn’t looked back.

He has worked in a variety of engineering roles and currently serves as Wales & West Utilities Gas Emergency Service Manager for North and Mid Wales, looking after Gas Emergency Service managers and engineers from the North Wales coast to Builth Wells.

David said, “Forty years has really flown by and I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m as committed as ever to working with my team to make sure North Wales continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply, while delivering the outstanding levels of service our customers expect.

“I am so pleased with the way things have turned out. I haven’t looked back since starting my career in the gas industry, and still enjoy the diversity and challenges of the job as much as I did forty years ago.”

Wales & West Utilities Director of Operations Andrew Hopkins added: “David is an essential member of our team in North and Mid Wales and we’re proud of the work he does to keep the communities we serve safe and warm. He has built up a huge amount of knowledge during his forty year career – and we’re glad he will be with us for a little while yet, passing his experience on to our managers of the future. I’d like to congratulate him on reaching a significant milestone and thank him for his 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. They advise anyone who smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, should call them on 0800 111 999 and they say their engineers ‘will be there to help, day or night’.