News Releases

Western Power Distribution (WPD), the electricity distribution company serving the East Midlands, is carrying out helicopter patrols around Bolsover, Duckmanton, Calow and Bolehill this afternoon.

The helicopters will be used to spot any problems on the high voltage overhead network, following a power cut in the area this morning.

Pat Bates, Distribution Manager at Western Power Distribution, said: “WPD is committed to providing a consistently high level of service and supply reliability for its customers. Using a helicopter to carry out the patrols is the safest, fastest and most effective way to carry out checks on large sections of the network.

“Taking a bird’s eye view of the network enables us to check large areas quickly. Any repair work can then be carried out before it becomes a problem and causes further disruption to customers.”

Note for newsdesks:

• Western Power Distribution (WPD) is the distribution network operator for the Midlands, South West England and South Wales, and is responsible for delivering electricity to approximately 7.8 million customers in the UK.

• WPD is not an electricity supply company and does not bill customers in the UK. Its responsibility is to distribute electricity from the point of generation to homes and businesses.