Be ready for powercuts
As an area that has experienced a number of powercuts in the past year or so, you might like to see some information sent to us recently by Simon Oliffe at Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSE). SSE are the providers of our local electricity infrastructure.
The majority of interruptions have been caused by trees coming into contact with our overhead power lines, this is regularly the cause in rural areas. The good news is that your area is on our tree cutting programme for this financial year, this should really help to limit the interruptions that you may have experienced. There has also been a couple of equipment faults on the network, which have been fully repaired at the time of the interruption. Our engineers are continually inspecting and maintaining the network to limit these types of interruptions, but sometimes equipment does fail as it is more susceptible to the elements on an overhead network. If you need more detailed information, please get in touch.
We are keen to promote our Priority Services Register
(which is free of charge) for any of your more vulnerable residents and to remind any existing members to ensure they have updated any new or additional information they may now have. Making sure everyone that may need our help or reassurance during a sustained power cut is important to us, as our customers are at the heart of everything we do.
The Priority Services Register sign up leaflet explains what we can do to help our customers. In a nutshell, those on the register will be kept informed during a power cut so they know when they can expect the power back on. We can assist in keeping them calm throughout an outage and provide hot water & drinks if necessary. And if an electricity supply is medically crucial, we will endeavour to provide a small generator to that individual.
In addition, we would like to refresh memories on the national 105 number to report a power cut, and our PowerTrack App, so anyone with a smart phone can log and track a power cut. We have found that not knowing how long a power outage will last is the major cause for concern. The App is continually updated to advise of the estimated time of power restoration. We also want to recommend that all residents have either a mobile phone, or a basic analogue home phone, as modern house phones that are plugged into an electrical socket do not work at all during a power cut and can leave people feeling very vulnerable.
SSE advises putting together a 'Grab Bag' that is ready to go, should you have to leave your home quickly because of an emergency. See what they suggest including here.
General information leaflet
'Be Ready Together'
More Articles
From 22 September until the end of November, there will be some adjustments to the current traffic management arrangements on the B4022.
Local leaders in West Oxfordshire are encouraging residents to take part in a major public consultation on the future of rail in Oxfordshire.
With autumn and winter approaching, now is the perfect time to make sure you’re ready for the colder nights ahead.
Families, older residents and local communities are seeing the benefits of more than half a million pounds of funding from West Oxfordshire District Council.
Dear Customer, We're writing on behalf of Thames Water, your water wholesaler, to remind you that the hosepipe ban introduced on Tuesday 22 July is still in effect in your area. Thanks to your efforts, businesses and households across the region have already helped save millions of litres of water each day. However, despite recent rainfall, reservoir and groundwater levels remain well below average. While rainfall has allowed Thames Water to start replenishing reservoirs, it will take months of steady rain for rivers, groundwater and reservoirs to fully recover. That's why the temporary use ban remains essential, and why it's important that we continue the water saving efforts as we move into autumn. FIND OUT MORE HERE Please continue to be water efficient this autumn Your business is covered by the hosepipe ban, and even though the impact is limited, your continued support helps protect the water supply for everyone in your community and reduces the risk of further disruption. Reduce water use where possible - for example, scheduling vehicle washing outside peak periods (early morning/late evening) Checking for leaks on-site - even a small constant dribble can waste around 400 litres per day Stopping urinals flushing overnight - turning off the flow can save thousands of litres Raise awareness of employees - small steps by everyone can add up to greater savings For more information or to report urgent issues, please call Thames Water's 24-hour helpline on 0800 316 9800. Thanks for your continued cooperation. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don't hesitate to contact us - we're here to help. Best regards, Ray Porter Director of Wholesale and Markets Castle Water
Autumn newsletter for West Oxfordshire residents.
West Oxfordshire District Council will be considering proposals to speak with local town and parish councils on how to best manage public toilets.
West Oxfordshire District Council is launching a new ‘Business Boost’ Grant to help businesses grow, adapt and plan for the future.
Are you worried about rising energy bills or finding it difficult to keep your home warm? Help is available.
Oxfordshire residents without off-street parking can now apply for an EV cable channel, making home charging easier and safer.