01 July 2005 00:00 Central Networks takes to the air to check electricity lines in Northamptonshire

Looking after enough overhead cable to go half way round the world can be a headache for electricity distribution company Central Networks but they have a great way of keeping a watchful eye on their network.

A team from the company is going to be flying high next week (W/C JULY 4) when it starts helicopter checks on sections of its network in Northamptonshire. The patrols aim to both spot potential hazards and also highlight areas where work could be necessary.

Alan Raymant, Director of Infrastructure Services at Central Networks, said: “With so much overhead cabling – around 23,000km in the East Midlands alone – taking a helicopter up is the best way to check out a lot of our cables.

“And it’s vital that we do that because we could find that there are problems with our poles or lines that we weren’t aware of, or that there are trees growing into overhead lines or even that buildings have been built too close to the lines.

“In previous years, we’ve even found some runaway cows for local farmers, which wasn’t why we were up there but it did help us to be a good neighbour.”

The patrol is weather dependent, but current plans are to fly the lines over Brackley and Towcester before heading across to Newport Pagnall and north to Daventry.

“Once the engineers have collected in the data and identified potential problems, the information is fed through and we can get the guys up the poles to sort out any potential problems,” said Alan.

“It’s all part of providing a first class service to our customers across central England.”

The helicopter will be branded Central Networks.

ENDS

Notes to editors:
•Central Networks is the new name for East Midlands Electricity and Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.8 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
•Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.

For further information contact:
Emily Highmore on 024 7642 4583