Power fault probe

INTERMITTENT faults in underground cables have been identified as the reason behind homes being plunged into darkness three times in four days.

The latest episode was yesterday when residents in Grotton experienced a loss of power around 6am, with the power back working close to 9.30am.

Prior to that, residents had suffered two previous cuts with the first episode in the early hours of Sunday.

One householder, who lives in Thornley Lane, said his power went off at around 12.30am.

He said: “I was going upstairs to bed and suddenly it went completely dark.

“It happened again on Sunday around 5.30pm. I’d just put my tea in the oven but had to chuck it away and go to my daughter’s in Springhead.

“It’s been quite noisy, all the house alarms have been going off and I’ve had to keep going around resetting all the clocks.”

A phone operator reported that yesterday’s problems were down to a fault with an overhead cable and that workmen had been dispatched to the scene.

A spokesman for Electricity North-West confirmed underground faults had occurred.

He said: “The intermittent faults have been on underground cables in the Lees New Road area.

“These can lead to interruptions in supply.

“On each occasion, engineers responded quickly to correct the temporary power loss.

“We would like to say sorry to customers for any inconvenience it may have caused.”

Anyone in the area who experiences further problems can contact Electricity North-West on 0800-195 4141.