Back to news & events
We head sky high
25/05/2016
We have carried out helicopter patrols between Bingham, and Hawton, passing over the Caythorpe, Sibthorpe and Bottesford areas following an incident which interrupted the power supply on Wednesday 18th May.
The helicopter, which spots problems on the high voltage overhead network, was able to pinpoint a damaged component which was consistent with having been caused by a firearm, and has been reported to the police.
Repairs to the network were carried out but since then, two further interruptions to electricity supplies have been caused to customers in the area and similar damage to the electricity network has been identified, according to Eirian Llewellyn, WPD’s Team Manager for the area.
“Power lines carry extremely high voltages and interfering with them in any way is potentially lethal. It can put at risk the lives of our engineers who have to repair and replace them if they have been left in an unsafe condition. Similarly, other innocent people can become victims if the lines are brought down.”
Eirian explained that safety is our number one priority and there were concerns after the three incidents. He urged anyone who sees anything suspicious in the area to report it to the police.
“Such incidents can also be incredibly inconvenient for customers if they cause power cuts – especially for people relying on electricity for things like dialysis.
“Patrolling by helicopter to take a bird’s eye view, provides the fastest and most effective way to carry out checks on large sections of our network. Repair work can then be undertaken before it becomes a problem that risks disrupting customers’ power supplies,” said Eirian.
The helicopter, which spots problems on the high voltage overhead network, was able to pinpoint a damaged component which was consistent with having been caused by a firearm, and has been reported to the police.
Repairs to the network were carried out but since then, two further interruptions to electricity supplies have been caused to customers in the area and similar damage to the electricity network has been identified, according to Eirian Llewellyn, WPD’s Team Manager for the area.
“Power lines carry extremely high voltages and interfering with them in any way is potentially lethal. It can put at risk the lives of our engineers who have to repair and replace them if they have been left in an unsafe condition. Similarly, other innocent people can become victims if the lines are brought down.”
Eirian explained that safety is our number one priority and there were concerns after the three incidents. He urged anyone who sees anything suspicious in the area to report it to the police.
“Such incidents can also be incredibly inconvenient for customers if they cause power cuts – especially for people relying on electricity for things like dialysis.
“Patrolling by helicopter to take a bird’s eye view, provides the fastest and most effective way to carry out checks on large sections of our network. Repair work can then be undertaken before it becomes a problem that risks disrupting customers’ power supplies,” said Eirian.
Tagged under
- Innovation