National Grid customers in Telford to receive safety check visits

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) is visiting customers’ properties in Telford this month as part of a safety inspection programme.

From this week, domestic and small business customers in the TF4 postcode area will receive visits from NGED-approved contractors to check that service termination points at properties are working as they should. 

The service termination point, also known as a cut-out, is the location where the main incoming electricity service cable and fuse is situated, in many cases close to the electricity meter. For most modern properties built since the 1980s, the cut-out is situated in a meter cabinet on the outside, although it can be located within the property. 

Inspectors will visually inspect NGED and energy suppliers’ equipment and record basic details. No disassembly work will be carried out and customers’ power supplies will not be interrupted while inspections occur. 

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

It has an Ofgem licence obligation to carry out asset inspections to ensure cut-outs at low voltage metered properties are operating safely. 

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. 

“Inspectors will visually examine cut-outs to check they are working as they should, taking photos and notes for our records. In the unlikely event of a defective cut-out being found, NGED engineers will be sent to carry out repairs at no cost to the customer. 

“Visits will also be an opportunity to confirm what types of low-carbon technologies (LCT) are connected to our network, for example electric vehicle chargers and solar panels.

"This will help our planning for load growth on the network and enable LCT items to be connected quicker in the future, as we’ll have records of the cut-out asset on site and its condition. 

“These are important safety visits, but we understand they could be inconvenient for customers and apologise in advance if this is the case.” 

Inspectors will be from a company called A Coole and will be clearly identifiable as working for NGED. They will be able to present ID and authorisation to enter properties. 

Customers will have the option of taking their own photographs of their cut-out and meter and sending them to NGED who will decide if a follow-up visit is needed.