Electricity safety checks are being rolled out across homes and businesses in Wellington as part of a major inspection programme.
National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) will begin the checks in and around the town from Wednesday, October 22, focusing on properties in the TA21 postcode area, including Tonedale, Langford Budville, and Rockwell Green.
The inspections will be carried out by NGED-approved contractors and will focus on service termination points—also known as 'cut-outs.'
These are typically located close to the electricity meter and house the main incoming service cable and fuse.
Richard Brady, policy engineer at NGED, 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."
The inspections form part of a wider 20-year programme, with NGED aiming to complete 400,000 cut-out checks each year across the Midlands, South West, and South Wales.
The company has a licence obligation from Ofgem to ensure that cut-outs at low-voltage metered properties are safe and fully operational.
Mr Brady said the visits also support wider planning for future energy needs.
He said: "Visits will also be an opportunity to confirm what types of low-carbon technologies are connected to our network, for example electric vehicle chargers and solar panels, to help our planning for future load growth on the network, and enable LCT items to be connected quicker in the future as we will 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."
The inspections will be carried out by representatives from A Coole, who will carry identification and proof of authorisation.
Customers can choose to take their own photographs of the cut-out and meter and send them to NGED for review.
NGED will then determine whether a follow-up visit is necessary.
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