4(1)The powers conferred by this paragraph may be exercised for the purpose of supervising and inspecting any controlled operations carried out with the consent of the Minister, and for the purpose of guarding against and detecting the carrying out of any controlled operations without the consent of the Minister or the doing of anything else constituting an offence under section 5 of this Act.E+W+S
(2)Any person authorised in writing by a [F1public gas supplier]or by the Minister may, at any reasonable time, for the said purposes enter upon—
(a)any land in the storage area or the protective area, or
(b)any land to which entry is required for the purpose of obtaining access to that land, and
(c)where that person has reason to believe that any controlled operations are being carried out from the surface of land which is not in the storage area or the protective area, that other land.
(3)A person authorised under this paragraph to enter on any land shall not demand admission as of right to any land which is occupied unless twenty-four hours’ notice of the intended entry has been given to the occupier.
(4)A person having power to enter on any land under this paragraph—
(a)may on that land inspect any borehole, shaft, excavation, quarry or other works, and may for that purpose use for his entry, inspection and return any apparatus or machinery which is on the land and is for use in the works, and
(b)may employ any means for discovering the depth of any part of any works below the surface of the ground, and their location in relation to the controlled area.
Textual Amendments
F1Words substituted by virtue of Gas Act 1986 (c. 44, SIF 44:2), s. 67(1)(3), Sch. 7 para. 6(2), Sch. 8 para. 33