25 April 2007 00:00 Central Networks to begin work on £2.25 million project to improve Cheltenham’s electricity network, some traffic disruption necessary

Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, is to carry out important underground cable refurbishment starting Sunday 29th April as part of a £2.25 million project to ensure the reliability of the electricity supply to the town centre of Cheltenham.

Following consultation with the local Highways Authority and the Police, work will begin on the Gloucester Road (A40), opposite Church Road, outside TGI Friday’s on Sunday morning. The work is expected to take five weeks.

Mike Lamming, Project Manager with Central Networks, said: “This work is extremely necessary and is part of a series of improvements we are making to the network in Cheltenham to ensure a reliable electricity supply. It will, unfortunately, also mean some disruption for road users while we carry out work on the cabling.

“We apologise for this inconvenience, but I can assure local people that we are doing everything we can to minimise disruption, including bringing in a specialist traffic management contractor and working very closely with the Police and the local Highways Authority.

“We’ve also erected warning boards throughout the area and have contacted local homes and businesses to explain the situation.”

The project forms just part of a five-year £1.2bn investment being made by Central Networks, a company of E.ON UK, into the electricity distribution network across central England.

Ends

Notes to editors:
• Central Networks is the new name for Midlands Electricity and East Midlands Electricity. The company brings power to 4.9 million customers across Central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables – enough to go round the Earth almost four times – 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:
Jamee Majid on 024 7618 3679
A selection of Central Networks pictures is available free of charge to the media by registering at www.newscast.co.uk and looking under Distribution