Community / Power cut affects thousands of homes
THOUSANDS of properties in Shetland lost power last night (Saturday) following a fault on the network.
There were reports of a pole fire in the Firth area, although a spokesperson for SSEN said engineers are continuing to investigate the cause of the fault.
They said the problem affected nearly 5,000 homes shortly after 8pm. These were mainly in the north, central and western parts of Shetland.
More than 3,300 properties were restored in stages by 10.30pm, with the final customers reconnected just after 5am on Sunday morning.
The disruption caused the Bluemull Sound ferry service to be suspended late at night, while the power also went off at some Shetland Folk Festival concerts.
The SSEN spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise to customers who have been affected by the power cut in Shetland and thank them for their patience whilst our engineers worked on restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.”
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.