Residents’ anger at fourth power cut in two weeks

Upton residents, who have suffered at least four power cuts in just over a fortnight, have blasted their current level of service as “unacceptable.”

Thousands of households have been knocked off the grid following faults which Southern Electric say are unconnected.

Some of the latest homes to lose power, at around 1.30pm on Sunday, were in the Tree Hamlets area of Upton.

Around 1,200 Upton and Lytchett Matravers homes were cut off last Tuesday; at least 2,500 in the same area the week before, and 2,000 days before that.

Upton resident Jackie Reid said: “This level of service is pretty much unacceptable.”

Among those worst affected were a number of vulnerable elderly and disabled people who depend on their electricity supply for mobility and communication, angry residents say.

When the Daily Echo travelled to Upton following the latest blackout, affected neighbours said it felt like they’d been “cut off from the outside world” at times.

Beacon Park Road resident Tracy Hart, aged 44, said: “I can’t remember a time in the years we’ve lived here when there have been so many.”

Debra Parkes, of Upton’s Parkes News, says she’s had lots of customers complaining about the power outages.

“This is particularly tough for elderly and disabled residents.

“I’ve even heard about resident’s not been able to use their stair lifts to get upstairs.”

Barbara Lake, aged 63, of Sea View Road, Upton, said: “Everything is electric nowadays, so it feels like you’re really cut off from the outside world.”

A Southern Electric spokesman said: “We take any interruptions to service seriously. Although there have been a number of faults in the area, they are not connected.

“The fault at Tree Hamlets was on a very short piece of the underground cable network.

“Our priority is to keep the lights on and when there is a fault such as this and previously unrelated faults, we will do everything we can to repair it and investigate it.”