Pole replaced after power cut

Delta staff have replaced an old wooden power pole with a concrete one near Jessie St in Maia yesterday after a power cut yesterday morning.

Delta marketing and communications manager Gary Johnson said power was cut to 577 customers in the Dunedin suburb when the pole fell at 5.09am.

Power was restored to 545 customers after six minutes and to the remainder at 8.50am.

The pole toppled due to internal rot which was not visible on the surface.

The condition of all poles on the network was checked regularly as part of a scheduled maintenance programme, but it was not always possible to assess accurately the internal condition of wooden poles.

‘‘We have an extensive and ongoing pole replacement programme on the Aurora Energy networks in Dunedin and Central Otago, including replacement of wooden poles with concrete ones,'' he said.