News RSS Feed


Top stories for Bexley, Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich and Dartford and Gravesend, and elsewhere in south east London and north Kent.
Register now to post your comments. It’s free, quick and easy. £20 prize paid for best comment.
Sign up for News Shopper's free email bulletins and text alerts.
Email your photos and videos or text keyword NEWS SHOPPER with your message/photo/video to 80360.

Power cut to thousands of homes

10:08am Friday 28th March 2008

comment Comments (37)   Have your say »


THOUSANDS of homes were left without electricity after a power cut in the Bromley area overnight.

The supply failed at 11.39pm yesterday because of a faulty piece of equipment at a main substation in Bromley.

EDF Energy Networks engineers restored power to 2,000 customers by 2am and the remaining ones by 2.49am.

The cut caused automatic fire alarms to go off in the Bromley area.

Fire crews from Beckenham, Bromley, Biggin Hill, Orpington, Downham, Eltham, Sidcup and Addington had to respond every time this happened.

An EDF spokesman apologised for any inconvenience caused.

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourNews Shopper

In the dark, Bromley says...
10:36am Fri 28 Mar 08

This is the third power cut in different parts of central Bromley in the past 10 days or so. What is going on?

Report this post »

Joe, Bromley says...
10:40am Fri 28 Mar 08

Ye4ah - I noticed that - we had a power cut in Bromley North less than two weeks ago for about an hour - then this longer one over a wider area. Whats happening?

Report this post »

Stasia, Chislehurst says...
10:57am Fri 28 Mar 08

It wasn't just Bromley that was out last night, half of Chislehurst up to the Elderly care home on White Horse Hill was out, including parts of Elmstead, and the Chislehurst side of Green Lane which is part of the London Borough of Greenwich.

Report this post »

paul, Bromley says...
10:59am Fri 28 Mar 08

I would guess EDF are creaming off to much of the profits rather than reinvesting it back in to maintanence of equipment and upgrades? I wonder if their are standards and regulation in England and/or Europe that must be adhired to? Perhaps any such guidelines would have a % of service which needs to be kept over a 12 month period? As a customer I can over look a flickering of the lights or a 1min blackout but 3 hours without lighting of any kind is surely unexceptable in present day society? Surely rising costs of domestic fuel are meant to provide a better quality of service...

Report this post »

cat, orpington says...
11:00am Fri 28 Mar 08

petts wood went out at 11.35 pm to 11.55 pm

Report this post »

The real Me, Here says...
11:12am Fri 28 Mar 08

Was well weird...left my car at Chislehurst station and had to drive home in the dark. It was like a ghost town. I was scared....really scared. Drove home with my head out the window shouting nee nor nee nor

Its Friday People....WOOOOOHOOO
OO!!!!

XXXXXXXXXX

Report this post »

ababs agoro, mottingham says...
11:54am Fri 28 Mar 08

i had power cut around 11 50 i was eating toast sitting in a towl x

Report this post »

Sorry, should know better! says...
12:19pm Fri 28 Mar 08

The power cut lasted for about 3 hrs where I live. No one has offered any information why this keeps happening!
I feel like I was left in the dark!!

Report this post »

sorry, I should know better says...
12:41pm Fri 28 Mar 08

The good news is those with gas lighting were not effected - you can't hold a candle to gas lighting!!

Report this post »

Jay, Chislehurst says...
1:00pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Just a note to Stasia who inaccurately posted Chislehurst is in the London Borough of Greenwich on 10.57am; Chislehurst is in the Borough of Bromley thus it is in the Bromley area as the story accurately states.

Report this post »

Les Ganley, Petts Wood says...
1:34pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Shows how we all rely so heavily on electric. There will be a baby boom at Christmas thanks to EDF!

Report this post »

Fiona, Petts Wood says...
1:37pm Fri 28 Mar 08

EDF seem to have really lost the plot. Petts Wood have been having repeated power cuts for the past year and nothing yet down about it. The Station has regularly been closed (I know of five times I've ended up at Orpington Station rather than Petts Wood in the past 16 months) due to no lighting on the platforms and businesses have suffered severly too. To be balanced EDF say they are going to do repairs in the summer when energy demands are lower but it really isn't acceptable to have to have repeated problems over a prolonged period before they will do something.

Report this post »

Roger, Beckenham says...
1:45pm Fri 28 Mar 08

It was a darn sight more'n 2000 homes cut off last night. According to the EDF techie I spoke to on their 0800 power cut line (or whatever it's called), he had "tens of thousands" of homes "off supply" across the borough, from Orpinton all the way through to Bromley.

That, I call a tad messy, to say the very least.

It's typical through, innit: There you are, watching a TV movie, and whoops, no power.

Now how the hell do I find out whodunnit? ;)

Report this post »

Anon, Petts Wood says...
1:53pm Fri 28 Mar 08

My thanks to the driver of the 2353 Southeastern service from Victoria to Orpington who ensured that his passengers were able to get off the station platform safely by the lights of his train, before departing to the next station. For once, the lights at Petts Wood did not got out!

Report this post »

Danny Williams, 085-528 says...
1:56pm Fri 28 Mar 08

What's happening is known as "load shedding" in South Africa.

It becomes necessary to interrupt the electricity supply in various areas when the demand cannot be met thanks to to an increase in population coupled with a corresponding failure to expand the infrastructure.

Report this post »

The real Me, Here says...
1:59pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Danny Williams wrote:
What's happening is known as "load shedding" in South Africa. It becomes necessary to interrupt the electricity supply in various areas when the demand cannot be met thanks to to an increase in population coupled with a corresponding failure to expand the infrastructure.
Course it is Danny...

(You all keep him talking while i call security)

****

Report this post »

Jack, Bromley says...
2:04pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Jay wrote:
Just a note to Stasia who inaccurately posted Chislehurst is in the London Borough of Greenwich on 10.57am; Chislehurst is in the Borough of Bromley thus it is in the Bromley area as the story accurately states.
However the chislehurst side of Green Lane in which she was talking about is actually in the borough of Greenwich

Report this post »

Sorry, should know better says...
2:05pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Mmm I can't help wonder why demand would be so high at midnight in Sidcup - London Borough of Bexley! Yes we too were darkness!!

Report this post »

The real Me, Here says...
2:22pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Jack wrote:
Jay wrote: Just a note to Stasia who inaccurately posted Chislehurst is in the London Borough of Greenwich on 10.57am; Chislehurst is in the Borough of Bromley thus it is in the Bromley area as the story accurately states.
However the chislehurst side of Green Lane in which she was talking about is actually in the borough of Greenwich
Dear Jack,

I wish the power to your computer would dissapear. That way we wouldnt have to listen to your boring drivel!

Lots of love hugs and kisses.

Your good friend.

The real Me

XXXXXXXXXXXX

Report this post »

Jack, Bromley says...
2:41pm Fri 28 Mar 08

The real Me wrote:
Jack wrote:
Jay wrote: Just a note to Stasia who inaccurately posted Chislehurst is in the London Borough of Greenwich on 10.57am; Chislehurst is in the Borough of Bromley thus it is in the Bromley area as the story accurately states.
However the chislehurst side of Green Lane in which she was talking about is actually in the borough of Greenwich
Dear Jack, I wish the power to your computer would dissapear. That way we wouldnt have to listen to your boring drivel! Lots of love hugs and kisses. Your good friend. The real Me XXXXXXXXXXXX
says the one who shouts "Nee nor nee nor" out their car window! i'm boring? Well at least I haven't lost the plot mate!

Report this post »

The real Me, Here says...
2:56pm Fri 28 Mar 08

ha ha im just pulling your chain Jack...its friday....im tired....and i want this day over with asap. Would you blame me for pulling your chain a little? Can we make up, make up never, ever, break up?

Love your old pal The real Me

XXXXXXXXX

Report this post »

Dog, Coldharbour says...
4:03pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Witherston Way off William barefoot drive, just into Greenwich borough. Electricity was out for three hours. And it had to happen right in the middle of using my PC.

It was a good excuse to stop burning the midnight oil and go to bed

Report this post »

Sophie, bromley says...
4:14pm Fri 28 Mar 08

We were included in the power cut at 11:39 - 2:49 last night. We also had one on the 15th March. Unfortunately for us we live in a block of flats that need fobs to enter, so no one could leave or enter the building, as well as loosing the power, we loose water to as our pumps are electric. I called EDF today and was told they can't promise it won't happen again and that it is very unique problem that only occurs once? Well we have suffered twice. They werent very helpful!

Report this post »

Chelsfield Village, Chelsfield says...
4:17pm Fri 28 Mar 08

Chelsfield - we had the powercut, I make that the 10th in a year. Keep a record of when they occur (time off/on) and write claim a refund/compensation.

Report this post »

J, Here says...
5:10pm Fri 28 Mar 08

From the sounds of it losing power for a while is infact the end of the world. Who knew?

Report this post »

Jay, Chislehurst says...
6:12pm Fri 28 Mar 08

The real Me wrote:
Danny Williams wrote:
What\\\\\\\'s happening is known as \\\\\\\"load shedding\\\\\\\" in South Africa. It becomes necessary to interrupt the electricity supply in various areas when the demand cannot be met thanks to to an increase in population coupled with a corresponding failure to expand the infrastructure.
Course it is Danny...

(You all keep him talking while i call security)

****
Um is the other side of Green lane not Mottingham? Does not as all of Chislehurst have a post code starting with 'BR' meaning Bromley! please enlighten me as to where the other side of Green Lane is? that could be anywhere lol

Report this post »

Nicholas Bennett, Bromley says...
9:49pm Fri 28 Mar 08

I note the spokesmen said that '2000 homes were back on at 2am' and the rest at 2.49am thus minimising the cut. If the messages on this Board are anything to go by the number of homes with out power must have been well over 60000. EDF are trying to obscure the extent of the cut by telling half truths.

Report this post »

sam, Bromley says...
12:02pm Sat 29 Mar 08

To the blk cab driver who drove off without checking I could get into my flat. Thanks so much - i couldn't get in and waited 20mins in the dark for a cab to my sisters. How do you sleep at night?

Report this post »

Steve The Cabbie, Chislehurst says...
6:02pm Sat 29 Mar 08

sam wrote:
To the blk cab driver who drove off without checking I could get into my flat. Thanks so much - i couldn't get in and waited 20mins in the dark for a cab to my sisters. How do you sleep at night?
Hold on luv, what are we now - babysitters. why should we check you can get into your house - half my fares are bladdered and cannot enem use their keys.

that said if your fit I would have come to your door- maybe a chance of a "tip" - know what I mean ! ?

But maybe your a minger in which case enough said.... flag up in cab off i go to the next fare,,,job done.....

I sleep very well at night unless I have had too much coffee.

Report this post »

karen, mottingham says...
11:09pm Sat 29 Mar 08

we had no power for 3 hours

Report this post »

Aaron, Bromley says...
12:19am Sun 30 Mar 08

Ive heard that the power cut went right to Dartford!!

Seems downham side survive the power cut.

I have noticed anumber of power cuts in the last few years. A couple years ago at halloween the power cut out for a few hours aswell.

Why dont EDF make things that work!


Report this post »

edf, dartford says...
7:26pm Sun 30 Mar 08

yes parts of dartford had two power cuts this week

Report this post »

Sean, Bromley says...
7:40pm Sun 30 Mar 08

Well road went out about 6.15pm but our house was still light and the street light were still on. But at 11.40 we went out (strange). At 4.00am we came back on. What is going on.

Report this post »

sean, bromley says...
8:48am Mon 31 Mar 08

iwent to sleep then when i got up it was completly pitch black

Report this post »

sean, bromley says...
9:35am Mon 31 Mar 08

Sean wrote:
Well road went out about 6.15pm but our house was still light and the street light were still on. But at 11.40 we went out (strange). At 4.00am we came back on. What is going on.
yep very weird watch this space

Report this post »

Chris Cooter, Greenwich says...
1:53am Thu 3 Apr 08

If people would only maintain alarm systems and replace tired rechargeable batteries, then the problems of power failure would not set the systems off. I hope the emergency services look into the call outs and charge the people who have wasted there time and money with false calls.

Report this post »

poppy, ipswitch says...
5:30pm Sun 18 May 08

Can i just say, i dont understand why people keep slating EDF, They provide a FREE service to maintain the network to provide us with electricity, there are a lot of electricity cables and only a limited number of enginers. perhaps we should give them a break, at the end of the day if anyone damages a cable its allways EDF that have to go out and fix it regardless.

Report this post »

Comments are closed on this article.

In this section

Essential Links

Sponsored Links



When news happens – email newsdesk, call 01689 885703 or text keyword NEWS SHOPPER along with your news, pictures and videos to 80360.

Local Advertisers


Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »