Latest news with #NorthernPowergrid
BBC News
4 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Road to close as Morpeth landslip repair works begin
Major roadwork repairs following a landslip during Storm Babet will lead to road closures lasting more than nine embankment on the B6343 Mitford Road, near Morpeth, Northumberland, collapsed during heavy rain in 2023. Northumberland County Council put repair costs at around £3.5m, but that sum has since risen to £4.6m, with the works set to start over the council said the project was likely to involve a "very challenging" working environment, with boulders and tree roots in the impacted area requiring a "highly complex engineering solution". The council said the works were further complicated by the necessity of leaving the river's course undisturbed due to the potential flood risk downstream, the Local Democracy Reporting Service authority said the repairs would mend any damage and stabilise the embankment, safeguarding the road against future undermining by the River has estimated the repairs will take about 40 weeks. Council leader Glen Sanderson said the landslip had caused "frustrating delays for many motorists and we are sorry for that."The full cost of this has to come from our funding – there is no special help we can call upon from government sadly," he continued."These are complex works and we have overcome a number of hurdles that have held up the project."The council said it was waiting for Northern Powergrid to move a cable which was "the last obstacle to overcome".During the road closure, a diversion will operate along St Leonard's Lane, while larger vehicles will be diverted via the B6524, the council said. A pedestrian route will be in place, south of the B6343, but will not be suitable for pushchairs or mobility scooters. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Teesside power cut under investigation by electricity firm
An investigation is continuing into the cause of a power cut that left 55,000 customers without Peterlee, Billingham, Middlesbrough and Yarm were among the areas affected by a blackout which started at approximately 21:20 BST on Powergrid said all but 27 households and businesses had their power restored by 03:00 BST on a message sent to customers at the weekend, the firm said equipment failure was believed to have been caused by extreme heat. Speaking to BBC Radio Tees on Monday, Carl O'Burn, the firm's regional manager for the Teesside area, said it was too early to know whether high temperatures were the sole cause of the power if "extreme weather" had been to blame, he replied: "We don't know. We've taken the equipment away that failed to do some investigations."Extreme heat and other extremes, such as wind and rain, can have an impact on the network - so it was probably exacerbated, but we're still investigating."Mr O'Burn said engineers had worked with teams from National Grid to restore power to about 40,000 people within three hours. 'Plunged into darkness' Among those affected was Hartlepool Stage Society. The amateur dramatic group had been performing Young Frankenstein at the local town Pam Gretton said she had been working as "chief curtain-puller" backstage, when the venue was "plunged into darkness"."The cast was performing Putting on the Ritz, which is the big tap number of the show. We were just getting towards the big finish."Part of our band was wired - we had an electric piano and guitar - but luckily we had brass and drums and they kept playing. "Our tappers kept going until the end of the number - it was amazing for the audience."They didn't miss a beat [despite] total darkness. The crowd stood up at the end and cheered. It was very uplifting."The cast was then compelled to leave the stage before returning a short while later to perform the final Gretton added: "A producer explained to the audience what had been missed and then we sang."For all they missed out on 20 minutes of the plot, the feeling was great." Follow BBC Tees on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Hartlepool and Peterlee hit by power blackout
More than 55,000 customers were left without electricity after a power cut in north-east Powergrid said areas affected included Hartlepool on Teesside and Peterlee in east Durham when the blackout hit just after 21:00 BST on company said 40,000 households and businesses had supplies restored within three it confirmed that 27 customers were still without electricity and it was "actively working in the area to fully resolve the issue as quickly as possible". Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Temporary traffic lights in Hull's Spring Bank cause delays
Roadworks causing delays on a busy junction near Hull city centre will be completed by 25 June, a utility firm has traffic lights have been set up on Spring Bank and Park have reported congestion along both sides of Spring Bank, with queues back to the junction with Beverley Road and Ferensway at peak company Northern Powergrid said it was carrying out work to "overlay 263 ft (80m) of cable in the carriageway". "We expect work to be completed by the 25 June and the site to be completely reinstated," a spokesperson said."We thank customers for their patience whilst we work as quickly and as safely as possible." Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Residents' frustration at '1970s-style' power cuts
Northern Powergrid says its engineers have fixed a fault in Northern Lincolnshire, as some residents claim the frequent outages reminded them of 1970s-style power cuts. People living in the Isle of Axholme have told the BBC that the outages, which had been going on since December, often lasted for hours and heavily disrupted their lives. Gary Cawkwell, who lives in the village of Althorpe, described the situation as "ridiculous", adding that it left residents needing to "get the candles out". A Northern Powergrid spokesperson blamed the problem on overgrown trees. "Engineers were mobilised to investigate, repairs have taken place, and we can confirm this is now complete," they added. In April, a foodbank in Haxey said it was "deeply frustrated" after power cuts ruined their stocks of chilled food. People living in the area said their lives had become a nightmare and, at some points in the last month, thousands of people saw their supplies cut off on a daily basis. Maggie Wootten, who has lived in West Butterwick for 34 years, said she had resorted to keeping camping lanterns around her house. She added: "They've been happening regularly since Christmas and often in the middle of the night. The last two months have been the worst. "We're paying a lot of money for something but we're not getting the service. They (Northern Powergrid) say they have fixed it but I'm just waiting for the next cut." Some residents said they had been offered a £30 payment from Northern Powergrid for the inconvenience caused. Christine Kennedy said she had "lost count" of how many power cuts her household had experienced and was sceptical about the cause of the problems. She added: "We've been told birds and vegetation are to blame but that's difficult to believe. Are they really different here compared to anywhere else?" Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. Foodbank throws away supplies because of power cut Northern Powergrid
