Pupils burning books cause power cut to 140,000 homes
PUPILS burning their exercise books at the end of term caused a power cut affecting almost 140,000 homes.
Children taking part in what has become an annual ritual in a park in Upminster, east London, started a fire which spread to power cables in a bridge overhead, police believe.
It led to a loss of power to homes and businesses in east London and Essex lasting for around half an hour.
Police are investigating whether the blaze should be treated as arson.
A source said: “They’re not yet sure whether the damage was deliberate or accidental, but officers believe they may have identified [those responsible] now. You can imagine they are quite nervous after that little celebration.”
Two fires were started within 100 yards of each other on Tuesday afternoon. One torched grassland while another “badly damaged” the power cables serving Havering, east London, and Ockendon and Brentwood in Essex. Buildings left without electricity included the Lakeside shopping centre, in Grays, Essex. Traffic lights and phone signals were also affected.
A London Fire Brigade spokesman said: “The cause is under investigation but during these dry spells people can help us prevent [fires] by taking extra care with lit cigarettes and barbecues.”
A UK Power Networks spokesman added: “Following reports of damage to some of our equipment we received reports of power cuts affecting several areas in Essex at 4.15pm on Tuesday and restored most by 4.47pm. There was a further interruption at about 5.05pm and all supplies were restored again by 5.18pm. We are sorry for the inconvenience and would like to thank customers for their understanding while we resolved the problem.”