News / Yell power cut
AROUND 50 households on the Shetland island of Yell have been waiting for their power to return after a succession of lightning strikes damaged the electricity network just before 4am on Friday morning.
Engineers were immediately dispatched in the middle of the night to reconnect 96 properties in the south and west of the island.
They returned to the Shetland mainland only to be called out again when it became apparent that 50 addresses were still without power.
A Scottish & Southern Energy spokesman said: “The teams had everyone back on by 9.20am, however the engineers were on their way back to the mainland depot when they learned about a further fault in the same area.”
He explained that multiple lightning strikes had damaged the overhead network in Yell and that everyone’s electricity should be back on by mid afternoon.
Shetland Islands Council ferries manager Colin Manson said the Yell ferry service had not been affected by the power cut because the hydraulic ramps at Ulsta were run off their own generators.
However the booking office was knocked out of action so passengers were forced to turn up on spec to see if there was space on the boat for them.
“We have had quite a few phone calls coming to the main office here to see if people can book through us, which they can’t,” Manson said.
“But I would be very surprised if anyone couldn’t get across at the time they wanted to at this time of year.”
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