Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

UK power cuts - live updates: Nearly one million people affected by major outages across country with trains, airports and traffic lights impacted

Conrad Duncan
Friday 09 August 2019 18:11 BST
Comments
Power cuts london and south east hit by massive national grid failure as traffic lights go down

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The UK was hit by a massive power cut on Friday, as traffic lights were knocked out, trains came to a standstill and aircraft were grounded during rush hour.

Large parts of the country were without electricity following the power cut, utility suppliers said, with outages reported in the North West, South West, the Midlands and Wales.

The UK Power Networks tweeted on Friday evening: "We're aware of a power cut affecting large parts of London and South East.

"We believe this is due to a failure on National Grid's network, which is affecting our customers."

Train services in and out of London, including Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express saw delays and cancellations on Friday evening.

Please allow the blog a moment to load...

Traffic lights in the capital were also experiencing some problems and the Victoria Line on the London Underground was suspended, Transport for London said.

They tweeted on Friday evening warning people to be cautious when using the roads.

The UK has been hit by a massive power failure, with reports of trains, ports and traffic lights all being affected by what the National Grid said was a "failure" on their network.

Tom.Embury-Dennis9 August 2019 17:49
Tom.Embury-Dennis9 August 2019 17:50

These are the areas affected by the power cut, according to the UK Power Networks.

Up to date information on the cuts can be found here.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:03

The Victoria Line is running again with severe delays, Transport for London has said.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:06

   center no-repeat #999999;cursor:pointer;top:-8px; border-radius: 2px;">↵

Other power cuts have been reported across the country. 

Cheshire Police said they were "aware of a power outrage in the Ellesmere Port area, including in Great Sutton and Little Sutton."

And thousands of homes in Shropshire are without electricity, according to the BBC.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:11

Meanwhile, the Press Association has reported a power cut at Newcastle Airport:

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 told PA.

"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" and Newcastle Airport said it is aware of the power issues but flights have not been disrupted.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:13

British Transport Police officers are assisting at train stations due to "disruption caused by power issues".

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:20

Here's a statement from London North Eastern Railway on the services which are thought to be affected by power cuts:

"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."

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:27

Videos have emerged from the cuts across the country earlier.

This was the scene from a power cut reportedly in a Waitrose in northeast London.

And this was reportedly the scene at Clapham Junction earlier.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:35

East Midlands Trains are strongly advising customers to not travel towards or out of London St Pancras this evening.

Jon di Paolo9 August 2019 18:36

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in