Longest cold spell in Britain caused massive power shortage

At least 5,000 families in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, and 3,000 in Hampshire were hit with a massive power blackout when a cable came down on the A3 in Hampshire. There were at least 20,000 households in Hampshire affected by power shortage on Wednesday after 1.5ft of snow fell over parts of southern England.

It was reported by EDF Energy that Brighton and Crawley in Sussex were severely hit, with many households in Surrey and Kent also with no electricity. As a result, hundreds of schools remained closed and thousands of workers stayed home. Meanwhile, hospitals decided to cancel non-emergency operations to save their remaining energy.

An EDF spokesman said that the engineers were working the whole day to bring back power supplies, but they were troubled by the unsafe conditions of roads. He added that EDF had been in contact with the Met Office to regularly monitor the weather.

EDF further made apologies to customers affected by the power shortage and promised to resolve the crisis the soonest possible time. He stressed that anyone who still has power problems can call EDF’s helpline to know the latest updates for their area or to speak to a customer relation officer.

Meanwhile, UK households have been warned that the current freezing weather could lead to gas supply crisis and higher energy bills. The country’s gas reserve is only good for less than 15 days consumption.

The winter season experienced in Britain today is considered as the longest cold snap since 1981.