Exploding pavements are “putting lives at risk” in London with 80 recorded incidents in the capital over the last five years, figures have revealed.
Statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) showed there were 40 cases of pavements blowing up or catching fire in 2014 alone.
The findings were published following a freedom of information request by Labour London assembly member Murad Qureshi. They detailed incidents involving link boxes or cable pits, which required assistance from the fire service.
“With 40 explosions last year alone and a deeply disruptive incident on Kingsway in April, it’s time UK Power Networks did everything possible to crack down on this potentially life-threatening problem,” Qureshi said. “This is a company which made almost £200m profit last year.”
The disruption on Kingsway in Holborn led to the evacuation of several buildings in central London and the cancellation of West End shows.
UK Power Networks said it “worked tirelessly” to maintain and invest in London’s electricity supply. The operator said: “This is a global issue, and UK Power Networks is recognised as one of the industry leaders in tackling it. We have over 100,000 cable pits and junction boxes and 36,000km of cable across the capital, delivering the most reliable power supply in the UK.
“Although such incidents are extremely rare, we do everything in our power to mitigate the risk”.
Exploding pavements are generally caused by electrical faults with underground electrical equipment, often as a result of poor maintenance.
UK Power Networks told the BBC it would invest about £1.5bn over the next seven years in London’s network. The HSE said the increase in explosions may be down to water getting into wiring due to wet weather .
