Chichester power supply works recommence

Engineers have beenreplacing link boxes in St Martin Street, St Martin Square, and on small areas of East Street, West Street, South Street and North Street (pictured)

Ten weeks of work started on Monday in East Street and Market Square, with mapping slabs and setting out barriers. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said parking restrictions would apply in St Martin Square from this week to March 30 but access would remain open for businesses and residential properties.

It comes after £650,000 was invested in the city’s network to build a ‘strong and resilient’ power supply for its 27,000 customers.

The latest phase involves upgrading existing electrical equipment, including three substations, and refurbishing the underground cable network.

SSEN’s project lead, Graham Humpston said: “Chichester is a thriving cathedral city and, as a considerate constructor, SSEN was very aware that the festive period is an important time for both business owners and residents.

“With this in mind, we planned our works’ schedule to ensure we didn’t cause any disruption and had agreed with local authorities and stakeholders to clear away any works in the weeks running up to Christmas before starting the project again in the first week of January.”

Network reliability is a key priority for SSEN and the customers its serves, he said.

Following a series of engagements with its customers, SSEN took the decision to make the investment in Chichester to further improve network resilience, and future-proof its infrastructure for customer’s changing demands.

This is part of SSEN’s commitment to taking a ‘you said, we did’ approach to investing in its vital infrastructure.

While SSEN said it does not anticipate any interruptions to the power supply during the remaining ten weeks of these works, it is aware that people ‘can feel vulnerable when their electricity goes off’, especially during severe weather.

A spokesman said: “Customers can join the Priority Services Register if they; are deaf or hard of hearing; have a disability; live with children under five; are blind or partially sighted; have a chronic illness; use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity or are over 60.

“By registering for SSEN’s PSR, customers will be proactively contacted to warn them of potential bad weather to help them prepare and to offer extra support where required. SSEN’s teams will also keep in close and regular contact with its PSR customers during network outages to check they are getting the help they need.

“To find out more about the PSR, click here, or call 0800 294 3259. For more information on all the support available from SSEN, and for helpful advice on preparing for and dealing with a power cut, please visit ssen.co.uk/ready-together.”