Over 4,000 Ashburton homes to receive National Grid electricity safety visits

Thousands of properties in Ashburton are set to receive electricity safety inspections as part of a long-running national programme.

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) are visiting homes and small businesses in the Dartmoor town to carry out visual checks of service termination points, also known as cut-outs. 

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These are the points where the main incoming electricity cable and fuse are located, often near the meter.

Visits are being carried out door-to-door by contractor A Coole Electrical and do not require prior appointments for visual inspections, with power supplies not expected to be interrupted.

The Moorlander contacted National Grid to ask how many properties in Ashburton would be affected.

A National Grid spokesperson said: “More than 4,000 properties in Ashburton are expected to be inspected during this phase of the programme.”

When asked why Ashburton had been selected at this time, the spokesperson said the visits were not linked to any specific local concerns.

“NGED is aiming to complete 400,000 inspections of cut-outs in homes and small businesses across the South West, Midlands and South Wales every year in a rolling programme over the next 20 years and Ashburton is part of our current inspection schedule.”

The spokesperson indicated inspections in the town are expected to continue for several months.

National Grid also clarified that properties in Ashburton, such as older Dartmoor homes or listed buildings, were not chosen due to being more likely to have issues identified.

NGED says the checks are part of its licence obligations and are designed to ensure equipment is operating safely. 

In cases where a defective cut-out is found, engineers will carry out repairs at no cost to the customer.

Residents who are unsure about any visitors are being assured by National Grid that contractors “will be able to present ID and authorisation to enter properties”. 

Richard Brady, NGED’s policy engineer heading the inspection programme, said: “The UK is recognised internationally as having one of the most resilient and safe energy systems and this inspection programme underlines our commitment to the highest safety standards. 

Customers also have the option of taking photographs of their equipment and sending them to NGED for assessment instead of arranging a home visit.