Major power cut across country as London goes dark after National Grid failure

Major power cut across country as London goes dark after National Grid failure
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/08/09/major-power-cut-across-country-london-goes-dark-national-grid/
 London experienced rush-hour chaos today when the power died across the country
London experienced rush-hour chaos today when the power died across the country
 Jessica Carpani  Alex Shipman  Katie O'Neill
9 AUGUST 2019 • 7:36PM
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A widespread power cut across parts of the UK caused chaos during rush hour. The UK Power Networks confirmed the outage which caused traffic lights to stop working, trains to come to a standstill and the underground to be plunged into darkness. 

National Grid the Electricity System Operator (ESO) in Great Britain have said the issue is now resolved. They claim the power cut was caused by two power generators. 

They said: "We experienced issues with two power generators causing loss of power in selected UK areas.

"The issue is now resolved and the system has returned to normal. Anyone continuing to experience a local issue should contact their local Distribution Network Operator for assistance."
7:05pm
No evidence at this point to suggest a cyber attack 
A spokesperson for the NCSC said that their Incident Management Team will be looking into the power cut separately but at this point they haven't found any evidence to suggest a cyber attack. 

"We are looking into to it but at this point there's no evidence at all that it's a cyber attack. 

"Obviously we would look into something like this but we can tell you at this point that there is no evidence. 

"Our Incident Management Team will look into it separately. 

"As with any incident we'll be able to ascertain whether there was evidence of anything untoward but we haven't found anything at all." 

6:42pm
Issue is 'now resolved' say Distribution Network Operator 
National Grid the Electricity System Operator (ESO) in Great Britain have said the issue is now resolved. They claim the power cut was caused by two power generators. 

They said: "We experienced issues with two power generators causing loss of power in selected UK areas.

"The issue is now resolved and the system has returned to normal. Anyone continuing to experience a local issue should contact their local Distribution Network Operator for assistance." 


National Grid ESO
@ng_eso
 We experienced issues with two power generators causing loss of power in selected UK areas. The issue is now resolved and the system has returned to normal. Anyone continuing to experience a local issue should contact their local Distribution Network Operator for assistance

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18:27 - 9 Aug 2019
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6:38pm
Northern Powergrid said 110,000 of its customers lost power 
A spokeswoman for Northern Powergrid said 110,000 of its customers lost power.

She said the problem was with the National Grid's transmission network, which distributes high voltage energy from power stations across the UK.

People walk in darkness at Clapham Junction  CREDIT: PA
Northern Powergrid serves 3.9 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire.

Those affected lost power between around 5.10pm and 6pm.

The power cuts were "quite spread apart, (which is) quite unusual", the spokeswoman said.

6:29pm
Last serious power outage was in 2003 and affected 500,000 people 
A serious power outage in 2003 dubbed "the London blackout" saw thousands of commuters trapped on the London underground during rush hour. 

Power was restored after 34 minutes but some areas waited up to two hours for full restoration.  An estimated 500,000 people were affected. 

In a report into the incident, National Grid attributed the outage to a failed transformer at the Hurst substation near Bexley in Kent. 

6:23pm
Police could be forced to 'man busy junctions' after traffic lights 'shut down'
Traffic lights in the capital are also experiencing some problems and police could be forced to man busy junctions where traffic lights have been shut down, Transport for London said.

A TfL spokeswoman said some traffic lights are "not working" but the scale of the problem is not yet known.

Police officers could be called in to "manage the busy junctions, to physically manage them themselves", she said.

"We're just assessing how many traffic signals are out."

A motorist gets out of his vehicle to direct traffic after a power cut in the area leads to traffic lights failing on the A167 Durham Road, in Low Fell, Gateshead this evening CREDIT: JAMES OXBOROUGH / NNP
Harriet Jackson described an "apocalyptic" scene when she witnessed the power outage causing traffic lights to cut out on Northcote Road in Battersea, London, after leaving Clapham Junction train station at around 5pm.

"(I) realised that nothing was open and there was hardly any phone signal," the 26-year-old said.

"All the traffic lights were down, but there were no police present, which meant it was dangerous to cross - cars weren't stopping either.

"It was like witnessing something out of an apocalyptic film.

"No one knew what was going on and, given it's a Friday afternoon, it's the last thing you want to encounter."

6:22pm
Newcastle Airport outage lasted for 'around 15 minutes'
Scott McKenzie was travelling through Newcastle Airport when the power cut out for around 15 minutes, in what he was told by officials was "due to a wider problem in the region".

"It was a bit worrying to start - more so because various alarms were going off and staff clearly didn't quite know what was going on either," the 31-year-old from Cardiff said.
Newcastle Airport

@NCLairport
 We advise passengers to allow additional time to make their way to the airport tonight due to power issues affecting the @My_Metro https://twitter.com/My_Metro/status/1159868461750870016 …

Tyne and Wear Metro

@My_Metro
The power issue is being worked upon by the Northern Power Grid. Our trains are running, there will be delays caused by the power problem. Thank you for your patience during this time.
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17:56 - 9 Aug 2019
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"Some of the spaces in the airport have little daylight - we were literally plunged into darkness and people were using their phones as torches to see and get around."

Mr McKenzie said the problem at the airport "seems to have been resolved". 

A spokesperson for Newcastle Airport confirmed there was a power outage this evening - but says "the airport remains 100 per cent operational".

She said: "There's no disruption and flights will continue as normal."

6:20pm
British Transport Police assisting at train stations 
British Transport Police officers are assisting at train stations after power cuts caused widespread disruption.

The force tweeted: "We currently have BTP officers assisting at several stations owing to current disruption caused by power issues."

6:07pm
Chaos at Victoria Station 
A tube worker, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “There was a power surge on the Victoria Line.

“The Victoria Line has been down for the last hour and commuters are angry.

“It has just got back up and running but there are severe delays - the whole line has been down so many people have been affected.”

Police officers are present at the underground station and are calming down one infuriated commuter who is shouting and gesticulating.

Commuters held aboard a ThamesLink train at Elephant and Castle station  CREDIT: ANDY RAIN/EPA-EFE/REX
Dozens are attempting to access the entry gates.

Dene Fearnside, 73, who lives in Pimlico is travelling to Chiswick to visit a sick friend. 

He said: “I feel bitter and twisted and I don’t know how long it will take me to get through this.

“Organisation is inadequate because the exit gates should be used for entry given the numbers trying to get through.”

The retired publisher added: “I’m wondering why there are police here - I guess it’s because people like me are getting angry.”

5:52pm
Power cut is not just in London 
Large parts of the UK are without electricity following a large scale power cut.

Blackouts have been reported in London and the South East, as well as the Midlands and the North East.

UK Power Networks, who control power lines for London and the South East, and Western Power Distribution in Midlands, the South West and Wales both confirmed widespread outages.

Also around 26,000 homes affected in the north-west, with Stockport and Cumbria among the worst hit. 

London North Eastern Railway (LNER) said in a statement: "A number of trains have broken down between London and Stevenage. We suspect this has been caused by an electrical supply problem.

"Grand Central, Hull Trains and LNER services to and from London Kings Cross may be cancelled or delayed by up to 60 minutes.

"We don't have an estimate yet for when the problem will be resolved, however disruption is expected to continue until at least 8pm."

Northern Power Grid has posted a list of postcodes affected by the power cut. They said they are "aware of an unexpected issue affecting the above postcodes and are working hard to restore power by 1830". 

Kingsbridge Police wrote on Facebook: "There are significant power cuts in Kingsbridge and many surrounding villages. Western Power are aware. Please view their website for up to date information." 

Radio Clyde News said that "at least 30 sets of traffic lights are out across Glasgow after a number of power spikes caused by the bad weather." 

Radio Clyde News

@RadioClydeNews
 At least 30 sets of traffic lights are out across #Glasgow after a number of power spikes caused by the bad weather.@GlasgowCC say all lights will be attended and switched back on as soon as possible once the weather allows.

Be careful when approaching dark traffic signals.

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5:44pm
Trains cancelled as underground is plunged into darkness during rush hour
The drop in power is affecting travel.

Train services in and out of London, including Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express are facing delays and cancellations.

Traffic lights in the capital are also experiencing some problems and the Victoria Line on the London Underground is suspended, Transport for London confirmed.

They tweeted on Friday evening warning people to be cautious when using the roads.
Steph
@stefidoo
 Welcome to Clapham Junction #powercut
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17:58 - 9 Aug 2019
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Thameslink confirmed that the power cut "train services running across the whole network may be cancelled or delayed". 

They added: "Trains are currently at a stand between Farringdon & Bedford. This is having a wider impact to services across the whole network." 

Meanwhile, photos on social media show the Victoria line in complete darkness with one user tweeting "love being stuck on the Victoria line during a power surge" while passengers on train services have been left at a standstill.