News / Lightning repairs continue
BT engineers are still working on repairing damage to the telecommunications services across Shetland following last week’s ‘weather bomb’.
Lightning strikes peaked at a rate of around 100 an hour resulting in an unprecedented increase in the number of faults across the network.
Many individual lines were blown and numerous overhead cables serving small clusters of homes were affected.
In some cases engineers repaired damage and installed new equipment only to have it blown by further lightning strikes.
A company spokesman said: “The Orange Mobile transmitter at Voe was knocked out on Sunday; we replaced it only for it to be hit again later that day, so we ended up replacing the equipment twice in one day!”
As engineers prepare to work through the weekend to clear the backlog the spokesman urged the public to report any fault to their service provider.
“In some cases electrical equipment may need to be replaced and this is managed by service providers.
“They will also liaise with BT Openreach on behalf of their customers to organise engineering appointments.”
He added: “Lightning damage is notoriously difficult to repair. It can cause multiple faults on an individual line, so clearing the damage can be painstaking.
“Engineers can clear one fault only to find others further along the line. Damage can also take time to manifest, causing network degradation or equipment to fail several days or even weeks after the initial strike.”
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
