13 September 2005 00:00 Central Networks invests over £2 million in electricity network in Solihull, warns of some traffic disruption

Customers in Solihull will get an extra boost to their electricity supply as Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, continues its £2 million investment programme in its local network.

The two year project, which got underway earlier this year, includes upgrading a major substation at Copt Heath and spending nearly £500,000 on laying new electricity cables.

And as work to install the new underground cables starts, Central Networks, which is part of E.ON UK, is warning road users around Copt Heath and Tilehouse Green to expect some localised traffic disruption.

From Monday 19th September, engineers will be laying the electricity cable from Copt Heath substation, near to Junction 5 M42, to Browns Lane substation in Tilehouse Green.

The path of the new cable will go across the M42 motorway bridge and will pass through Warwick Road, Lady Byron Lane and Browns Lane.

Temporary traffic lights will be installed on Lady Byron Lane and at the junction with Browns Lane during the works.

Central Networks Project Manager, Karl Chapman, said: “As part of our investment to ensure secure supplies into the area, it’s essential that we lay this new cable to reinforce supplies to our customers.

“We’ll endeavour to keep all disruption to an absolute minimum and have been working very closely with Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council to ensure the traffic will continue to flow and doesn’t cause motorists too many problems.

“Our investment will reinforce supplies to thousands of customers in the area and our 10 week cabling programme, along with the substation improvements, will lead to long-term benefits for our customers and make an already reliable supply even better.”

Ends

Notes to editors:
•Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East 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:
Rebecca Middleton 024 7642 5779