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Grid infrastructureUnited KingdomEIR-0844

Explosion at Beverley substation cuts power to about 160 properties

June 2017Published 15 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorElectrical
Estimated damageEstimated by the register's adjusterHow? Know the real figure?
Figure hidden: shown to subscribersMedium confidence
supply cut for about •• daysShown in the record →Full estimate
From the recordRoot cause hiddenFailed part hidden
Where
Northern Powergrid substation on Toll Gavel in Beverley, East Yorkshire
Operator
Northern Powergrid
What
Explosion at substation
Response
Engineers sent to investigate
Cause
Not confirmed

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Northern Powergrid

What happened

A loud explosion was reported at a Northern Powergrid substation on Toll Gavel in Beverley, East Yorkshire, on a Saturday evening. Witnesses described a huge bang that set off shop alarms, caused cinema screens at a nearby shopping centre to switch off, and led residents to leave nearby buildings. Northern Powergrid confirmed a report of an explosion at the substation and said engineers were sent to investigate. Approximately 159 properties lost their electricity supply as a result.

The company said power was expected to be restored by around 11.30pm the same evening. No damage beyond the loss of supply was visible to witnesses, and the exact cause of the explosion had not been confirmed at the time of reporting.

Contributing factors

Not reported.

Lessons learned

  1. An explosion at an urban substation can trigger shop alarms and cinema shutdowns without visible external damage, so operators should fit acoustic sensors and clear public communication plans.
  2. A single substation fault cut supply to 159 properties, so urban networks need fast isolation and built-in redundancy to limit outage size.

More lessons on detection and monitoring, electrical protection and isolation, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Exact cause of the explosion
  • Equipment age and model
  • Duration of any supply outage after 11.30pm
  • Cost of repairs

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

hulldailymail.co.uk

Published 2026-09-15. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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