Homes as good as new after electric surge

Adam Hewitt • Last updated 20 May 2008 16:25 0 Comments

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NEIGHBOURS who got a nasty shock last week when they woke to find their electrical appliances crackling and smoking had a nicer surprise later that day.

Power company Southern Electric rushed to the homes around Carshalton Way in Earley to repair and replace every malfunctioning gadget, sometimes with a newer and swankier model than before.

Sharon Joyce of Carshalton Way said: "It was terrifying. I was woken up at 6.30am by these loud bangs and pops. The TV was smoking, the microwave was smoking, the lights blew, the beside clocks blew.

"When I came out the fire brigade were here already, apparently the sub station was on fire. All of the neighbours were wondering what was going on, we just panicked, we were running from room to room thinking what's going on.

"But Southern Electric were absolutely brilliant, they sent round a company called Haste who repaired everything straight away, and gave me a fantastic new microwave, much better than my old one."

Mrs Joyce's neighbour, civil servant Janet Ryan, said: "When I came down there was a bang and the DVD player had smoke pouring out of it, my son's computer was the same, and the TV, it was absolutely petrifying."

Grant Burrup, an account manager, said he even got an electric shock from his shower.

He said: "I went in and turned on the tap and there was an unpleasant tingling, and then we were told it was best not to use the water."

Around 12 or 15 homes saw all their electrical appliances ruined in last Thursday's surge, while another 50 lost power while Southern Electric fixed the problem.

Spokeswoman Morven Smith apologised to the residents after the frightening experience, and said: "The problem arose through an extremely unusual set of circumstances relating to the insulation around the cable deteriorating, combined with the cable's position in the network." She encouraged anyone with concerns about their electricity supply to call 08000 727282, and said the cable was replaced and power restored by 2.15pm and the appliances were all repaired and replaced by 9pm.

More good also came out of the day - Carshalton Way resident Kim Prior used the gas stove from her camper van and the neighbours made tea and breakfast on the grass area outside their homes, giving them a chance to get to know newer arrivals.

She said: "It was good to see everyone out together actually, because there are a lot of young couples around here and we don't really see people a lot, so I suppose we made the best of it."

This article appeared in Reading Chronicle 15 May 08

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