Earl of Carnarvon demands action over Woolton Hill power cuts

Last Tuesday (July 24), a power cut due to an underground cable fault affected a total 1,600 properties in Woolton Hill, Ball Hill, Highclere and Penwood.
Lord Carnarvon has confirmed Highclere Castle, his stately home, was among properties affected by this power cut and for three and a half hours - with a similar cut at the castle in the previous week:
“We managed to accommodate most visitors in the castle, but unfortunately some could not see the Egyptian Exhibition, which had to be closed under the circumstances,” said Lord Carnarvon.
“Like any other business in the same situation we lost revenue in the tea rooms and gift shop due to not being able to process credit cards etc,” he said, adding he was unhappy with the performance of electricity providers, Scottish and Southern Energy, (SSE) whose provision of power over the last two weeks he described as “poor.”
“We have experience of a number of power cuts over the last five years and too many given that we live in a highly developed country and one has to ask the question of SSE as to whether they have invested sufficiently in their sub stations given the amount of new housing in the area,” said Lord Carnarvon, adding the company’s senior management should be brought to account over this issue.
The castle, he continued, did not have a back-up generator as this would, he said, have to be a very large machine to cope with the demands, in terms of power supply, of the building:
“However I am looking at methods of being able to have a partial back up capacity for these situations,” he added.
The August 4 production of Battle Proms at the castle however is not likely to be plunged into darkness due to any power cut, as the organisers, JSL Productions, have confirmed the event is powered by enormous generators which the company brings onto the site: “We can go on, even if there is a power cut,” said Beth Rees, a spokeswoman for the company, adding the event was likely to sell out this week.
Prior to last Tuesday’s (Jul 24) power cut there was a further (fifth) power cut in Woolton Hill, after a back up generator broke down, affecting 24 customers in Greenways.
A previous three power cuts in the area in seven days initially on Tuesday July 10, affecting 859 households in Ashmansworth, Ball Hill, Highclere, Hollington, Penwood and East Woodhay, due to an underground cable fault.
Highclere Castle’s website has published an apology to all visitors inconvenienced by the latest cut.

North Hampshire was once against plunged into darkness yesterday (Tues) when about 1,800 properties in Tadley were affected by a power cut.
Southern Electric spokeswoman, Hannah Gleave, confirmed the 12.40pm cut was a result of third party damage to the company’s underground high voltage network.
Those affected by the cut in the town included residents of Kestral Mead, Fairfield Road, Huntsmoor Road, Falcon Fields and Aldermaston Road.
Tadley Town Council offices in Franklin Avenue lost power at 12.40pm, the council’s clerk, Nicki Barry, confirmed, along with Tadley and District Citizen’s Advice Bureau, who share the same office building.
The neighbouring Ambrose Allen building was also affected, where a party of elderly people attending the Loddon Valley Day Care Centre, which provides respite care for the elderly, had fortunately just finished eating their lunch, when the cut struck.