When you’re relying on LPG, a dependable delivery isn’t simply a matter of convenience. It can be essential to keeping your home comfortable or your business running as it should.
That means different things to different customers. It could be keeping a family home warm, providing heating and hot water for residents in a care home, fuelling a busy hotel or leisure facility, supporting day-to-day operations on a farm, or providing the energy for brewing and industrial processes.
Whatever happens at your property or on your site, when your LPG delivery is due, we want it to be as straightforward as possible.
There are a few things our drivers need in order to deliver safely. They need suitable access for the tanker, a clear route to your LPG tank and enough space to carry out the delivery safely. Something as simple as a locked gate, a vehicle parked in the wrong place, an overhanging branch or a spell of bad weather can sometimes mean we’re unable to complete a delivery.
Fortunately, many access problems can be avoided with a few simple checks before we arrive. Here’s what our drivers need and what you can do to help your next LPG delivery go smoothly.
What access is needed for an LPG delivery?
An LPG delivery driver needs safe tanker access to your property or site, enough room to get the tanker into position and a clear route from the tanker to your LPG tank. The driver also needs to be able to safely access the tank and maintain suitable line of site between the tanker and the tank during delivery.
An LPG tanker is considerably larger than a car or standard delivery van, so having clear and safe access to your property or site is really important.
Whether we’re delivering to your home, farm or business premises, our driver needs to be able to safely get the tanker into position and reach your LPG tank. What might seem like plenty of room for everyday vehicles isn’t always enough for a tanker, so it’s worth taking a quick look at your access before we’re due to arrive.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identifies tanker access as an important consideration for LPG installations. It also recommends keeping the area around your LPG storage tank clear of rubbish and excessive vegetation, helping to maintain a safe environment around the installation.
Before your delivery, there are a few simple things worth checking:
- Is the route clear? Parked cars, vans, trailers, farm machinery, bins or other equipment can all make access more difficult. Leaving a clear route gives our drivers the space they need to safely manoeuvre the tanker into position.
- Are gates unlocked? If access is through a locked or controlled gate, please make sure it’s open when we’re due to deliver, or that we’ve got the information to gain access. If arrangements have changed since our last visit, please let us know.
- Have trees or hedges grown since our last delivery? It’s an easy one to overlook. Our tankers are both taller and wider than everyday vehicles, so low branches and overgrown hedges can become an obstruction even if your car, van or tractor can still pass through without a problem.
- What are the ground conditions like? The Great British weather doesn’t always make things easy. Snow, ice, flooding or very soft ground can make an otherwise accessible route unsafe for a large, heavy vehicle. If conditions are poor and you’re concerned about access, please give us a call.
- Are dogs and livestock safely out of the way? We know they’re part of everyday life for many of our customers, particularly on farms and at rural properties, but please make sure dogs, livestock and other animals are safely secured away from the tanker, our driver and your LPG tank while we’re making your delivery.
For commercial customers, it's also worth thinking about what else might be happening on site when we’re due to arrive. A hotel or leisure venue may have a busy customer car park, while an industrial site could have HGV movements, forklifts, loading operations or other deliveries taking place. On a farm, tractors, trailers or livestock movements could temporarily change the normal access route. If your yard or access road is likely to be busy with customer cars, HGVs, forklifts, loading activity or other deliveries, make sure there will still be a clear and safe route for our tanker.
You don’t necessarily need to stop everything while we’re there. We simply need a clear and safe route to get in, make your LPG delivery and get out again.
Give our driver a clear route to your LPG tank
Getting our tanker safely onto your property or site is only part of the journey. Our driver also needs to be able to get from the tanker to your LPG tank safely and easily.
The delivery hose needs to reach your tank from wherever the tanker can safely park, with a clear, unobstructed route between the two. So, before we’re due, have a quick look at the area around your tank and the route leading to it. Cars, bins and garden furniture at home, or stock, pallets, machinery and other equipment on a commercial or agricultural site, can all get in the way.
Our driver also needs to maintain a clear line of sight between the tanker and the LPG tank while your delivery is taking place, which is an important part of ensuring your LPG can be delivered safely. Industry guidance highlights maintaining line of sight between the tanker and the LPG vessel for continued safe delivery.
It’s worth remembering that sites can change over time. You might have extended a car park, added new storage, repositioned equipment or changed the layout of your yard. At home, a new fence, shed, or landscaping could make a difference too.
If anything has changed, give us a call before your next delivery. Our friendly team can check your delivery arrangements and help make sure everything is accessible before we arrive.
Keep the area around your tank clear and safe
Keeping the area around your LPG tank clear isn’t only important when we’re making a delivery. It’s an important part of keeping your LPG installation safe all year round.
When our drivers arrive, they need to be able to clearly see and safely access your tank and its filling point. Overgrown vegetation, stored materials or other items around the tank can make it more difficult to carry out your delivery safely, so it’s worth checking the area before we arrive.
Good ventilation around your tank is essential. LPG vapour is heavier than air, so in the unlikely event of a leak, it can collect at low level if there isn’t sufficient airflow. That’s why there needs to be plenty of open space around your tank, helping any vapour disperse safely rather than accumulate. The HSE also recommends keeping the area around LPG tanks free from rubbish and keeping weeds and grass under control to help maintain good ventilation.
Keeping the area clear should therefore be an ongoing job, not just something you think about when your next delivery is due. It’s also important to make sure the safety information displayed on your LPG tank remains clearly visible and legible. This includes important information that may be needed in an emergency, so please don’t remove or cover it.
Before your next delivery, take a quick look around your tank. Make sure it’s easy to see and access and that vegetation, equipment or stored items haven’t started to encroach on the area. It’s a simple check that can help our driver make your delivery safely, while helping look after your LPG installation between deliveries too.
And if you’re concerned about anything you spot, don’t try to alter the tank or its fittings yourself. Give our team a call and we’ll be happy to help.
Do I need to be present for my LPG delivery?
In many cases, no. You don't necessarily need to be at your property or site when we arrive to make your LPG delivery.
As long as our driver can safely access your property, reach your LPG tank and complete the delivery without needing assistance, we can often fill your tank without anyone needing to be there.
The important thing is to make sure we have everything we need before we arrive. At home, that might mean leaving a gate unlocked, making sure your dog is safely secured or moving a car that could block access. For farms and businesses, there may be security gates, barriers, restricted areas or particular site access arrangements that our driver needs to know about.
It’s also worth thinking about whether access changes when nobody is there. A gate that’s normally open during the working day might be locked out of hours, for example, or access to the tank could depend on a member of staff being there to let us through. If there are any special instructions for reaching your tank, make sure we know about them before your delivery is due.
Every home, farm and business site is different. If you're unsure whether somebody needs to be there for your delivery, give our friendly team a call and we can check for you.
Why was my LPG delivery not completed?
An LPG delivery may not be completed if our driver can’t safely access your property or site, reach your tank or carry out the delivery safely. We’ll always make every effort to get your LPG delivered, but sometimes conditions on the day mean it simply isn’t possible.
We know it can be frustrating if you're expecting an LPG delivery and, for whatever reason, our driver is unable to complete it. After all, you could be relying on that LPG to keep your home warm, your guests comfortable, your livestock cared for, or your manufacturing processes running.
Conditions can change between deliveries, and occasionally our drivers may arrive to find something that prevents them from safely accessing your property or site, reaching your tank or completing the delivery. Safety has to come first, for our drivers, our customers and everyone on site.
This could be because
- There isn’t enough space for the tanker to safely access your property or site
- A gate is locked or access is restricted
- Parked cars, HGVs, machinery or other equipment are blocking the route
- Dogs or livestock haven’t been secured
- Something is preventing the driver from safely reaching your LPG tank
- The tanker can't get close enough for the delivery hose to safely reach the tank
- There isn't a clear line of sight between the tanker and tank
- Trees, low-hanging branches or overgrown vegetation are restricting access
- Snow, ice, flooding or soft ground conditions have made access unsafe
- Something at your property, premises or around the tank has changed since our last visit.
It’s worth remembering that access can change between deliveries. A route that was perfectly clear the last time we delivered might look very different a few months later. Hedges grow, vehicles and equipment get moved, site layouts change and of course, the Great British weather can have other ideas!
If we haven't been able to complete your delivery, we’re always on the end of the phone. Give our friendly team a call and we can explain what happened, talk through any changes that might be needed, and help get your next delivery back on track.
How do I prepare for an LPG delivery?
A little preparation can go a long way. Before we’re due to arrive, a quick check of your property or site can help our driver get to your tank safely and your delivery go smoothly.
Your LPG delivery checklist
Before your delivery, check:
✓ Tanker access. Move cars, vans, machinery, trailers or anything else blocking the route
✓ Gates. Make sure they’re open or we have the access information needed
✓ Dogs and livestock. Keep animals safely away from the tanker, delivery route and LPG tank
✓ Trees and hedges. Look out for low branches or overgrown vegetation
✓ Tanker to tank. Keep a clear route for our delivery hose and line of sight between tanker and tank
✓ Your LPG tank. Make sure it’s visible, accessible and clear of vegetation and stored items
✓ Weather and ground conditions. Check for snow, ice, flooding or particularly soft ground
✓ Site activity. Make sure vehicles, deliveries, machinery or livestock movements won’t block access
✓ Anything changed? Tell us about alterations to gates, driveways, parking, buildings or the area around your tank.
Taking a few minutes to run through these checks can help avoid delays and give our driver the best chance of completing your LPG delivery.
Helping your LPG delivery go smoothly
Whether we’re delivering to your home, farm or business, we want your LPG delivery to be as straightforward as possible. Taking a few minutes to check access before we’re due can make a real difference, helping our driver reach your tank safely and reducing the chance of an avoidable delay.
And remember, things change. If you’ve had building work carried out, changed your access arrangements, moved equipment or simply aren’t sure whether our tanker will be able to reach your tank, please let us know before your next delivery.
Our friendly team is always on the end of the phone and happy to help. Contact us on 01423 772 789 if you have any questions about your LPG delivery.