Thousands of properties in Bishop’s Stortford, Birchanger and Stansted hit by power cuts
Thousands of properties in Bishop’s Stortford, Birchanger and Stansted were hit by power cuts on Wednesday afternoon (July 31).
Electricity supplier UK Power Networks said an underground network fault initially interrupted power to 3,195 homes and businesses. The first reports were at 2.22pm.
But it managed to restore power to most of these by diverting supplies remotely.
As of 4pm, 665 customers in four postcode areas – CM23 1, CM23 5, CM24 4 and CM24 8 – were still affected. And by 4.25pm all properties were back on. UKPN had hoped to have power restored between 5pm and 6pm.
A spokesman said: “We believe our engineers have been able to restore power to all 3,195 customers... by diverting power around an underground network fault. We’re sorry for any disruption or worry this unplanned power cut caused you.”
Earlier, an area east of London Road and Stansted Road in Stortford, stretching from Beldams Lane to the Parsonage estate and covering Herts and Essex Hospital, was affected.
Amid the high temperatures, UKPN advised customers worried about food that it should keep for up to four hours in the fridge and 24-48 hours in the freezer if you avoid opening them.