Spare a thought for power engineers

Sir, – It was rather distressing to see the UK business secretary, appropriately enough dressed in a business suit, when he arrived at a site in northern England for a photo opportunity in which he described recent power cuts as “completely unacceptable”.

It’s also distressing to think of these poor folk without heat, light and cooking facilities for more than a week. We

should, however, bear in mind that Storm Arwen has been described as three times more destructive than the Beast from the East.

What I find particularly distressing is the lack of recognition for the work our power workers do. They are slogging away day and night and must be exhausted.

My grandson is missing his daddy. That too is distressing. He has not seen him for over a week. One night he came in at 2am and was away by 6am working his socks off to reconnect power to homes and businesses. Right now 16-hour working days and weekend working are the norm.

I worry about the mental fatigue as he carries out

extremely hazardous work. Not only from electricity but from more falling trees.

I also worry about him driving home at the end of long, tiring shifts.

I suspect most of these guys will earn significantly less than many people in “important” 9-5 office jobs – such as the aforementioned business secretary.

These guys are working while the politicians play the usual blame game.

Every one of them deserves a medal and a significant pay rise. It’s galling to see fat cat bosses and shareholders benefiting.

Stewart Falconer. Glenisla View,

Alyth.