Electrical fault causes bang and flash at Leighton Buzzard substation

At about 22:17 on Saturday 22 September 2018, residents near the Woodman Close UK Power Networks substation site in Leighton Buzzard heard a loud bang, and one eyewitness said on social media that there had been flames and explosions. A resident called Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue, which sent two pumps from Leighton Buzzard Community Fire Station. Crews carried out a 360 degree inspection using a thermal imaging camera but found no heat sources indicating fire. The fire service said some electrical insulation had failed and had tripped the site into its fail safe mode. Crews put a cordon in place to protect the public, accessed site risk information, and contacted UK Power Networks, which attended and took over the scene for repair. UK Power Networks said engineers replaced a piece of equipment on overhead power lines that had developed a fault shortly before 23:00, that the repair was completed by 04:17 the following morning and that no power supplies were affected. Injuries are not mentioned in the report.

Reported failure of electrical insulation, with UK Power Networks attributing the fault to a piece of equipment on overhead power lines, which caused a flash and bang and tripped the site into its fail safe mode.

1. Rapid attendance and a precautionary cordon by emergency services help protect the public while the cause of an unexplained bang or flash at electrical infrastructure is established.
2. Fail safe tripping can stop a localised insulation or equipment fault escalating or interrupting wider supply.
3. Pre-prepared site risk information available to fire crews, together with direct contact with the network operator, supports a safe handover and prompt repair.

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