Part of the reason for the alert - known as a gas balancing alert (GBA) - is that Norwegian gas fields have had a technical problem and have not been able to supply as much as they promised.
SHOOT: Eek, demand exceeding supply.
Demand for gas in the UK is believed to have hit a new record on Thursday as people attempt to keep their homes warm through the severely cold weather. The National Grid estimates usage will reach 455.3m cubic metres. The current record is 449m cubic metres, set on 7 January 2003.
Some factories have also been asked to switch from gas to other power sources.
Around 200 industrial users in the North West and East Midlands are on what are known as interruptible contracts. They pay a reduced price for power on the understanding that if demand gets too high they will cut their gas use.
For the first time in 10 years, 94 of them were asked to switch to other power sources on Thursday. On Friday, that figure will drop to 27 companies.
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clipped from news.bbc.co.uk
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