Stafford Black Out!!

[Sir BoD]

No, not the blitz or a three day working week looming either.

Did anyone's electricity go earlier on tonight, about 7:30ish? I went and did the usual thing and checked the fuse box, then went to the cellar to check the main box down there. Only thing was, I forgot to flip the switch back on and went back upstairs to READ A BOOK! until the juice came back on. Which it did apparently, just not in my house.

It got until about 9:30pm and I thought I would just go around flipping fuse switches for the fun of it. It wasn't until I got down the cellar and realised that the main fuse box switch was in the off position. D'oh and d'oh thrice!!

 

[ATJ]

http://www.expressandstar.com/news/2013/07/05/thousands-of-staffordshire-homes-blacked-by-power-cut/

The article implies Stafford wasn't affected... but it bloody well was.

 

[Jade-clothing]

says on Facebook an explosion at rugeley power station and power out in rugeley , lichfield and cannock . no idea if this is true .

 

[Jade-clothing]

ah now I see ATJ has already mentioned this . always get this problem when I look at the forum on my phone doesn't seem to update properly

 

[ATJ]

ah now I see ATJ has already mentioned this . always get this problem when I look at the forum on my phone doesn't seem to update properly

I think we commented at the exact same time!

 

[darben]

On the local bbc news

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-23208172

 

[Vault_girl]

I was in the Haywoods earlier this evening and the power either went out for a short while or blipped out for a second - set the house alarm off and reset all the clocks on the oven and microwave etc but we had been using the electric oven minutes beforehand so not sure how long we were affected...

 

[Lunar Scorpion]

My oven and microwave clocks are fine and I'm pretty sure I was in at that time so it obviously didn't affect me.

 

[Sir BoD]

I was in the Haywoods earlier this evening and the power either went out for a short while or blipped out for a second - set the house alarm off and reset all the clocks on the oven and microwave etc but we had been using the electric oven minutes beforehand so not sure how long we were affected...

Strange one that as I text my mate who lives in Weston and he said everything has been fine there - unless he had a narcoleptic fit at that minute it went off, which, to be fair, is highly likely considering he has three daughters (includes a set of twins) all aged 4 or under in the house and he's 'home alone'!! Eeeekk!!

 

[Goldilox]

Wormella & I were in the Apollo and had our film cut short!

 

[kilmaccumsey]

It went off twice in Asda last night

 

[Vault_girl]

It must have been on Facebook but I'm sure I read people saying that car alarms were going off as well - today we've had the power out for a bit and Vault boy's car alarm went off earlier this morning. Now a neighbour's house alarm is going off (but I've been on my PC so would've noticed another power cut)

I'm tempted to start a conspiracy theory! Why would car alarms be going off?

 

[darben]

Our house alarm went off, I was in in the garden and didn't know there had been a power cut and went out the back to see who's car it was - it wasn't until I saw a confused shop owner in the street that I realised it was my house making the din and it was a power cut

 

[John Marwood]

Dire Straights were on their encore and everyone put their kettles on at the same time

 

[The Stafford Beast]

It may have been a coincidence that car alarms were going off too. They tend to do that in hot weather as temperatures cause equipment to expand and contract.

 

[basil]

It may have been a coincidence that car alarms were going off too. They tend to do that in hot weather as temperatures cause equipment to expand and contract.

Spot on there, my own personal equipment readily expands and contracts during heated moments.....

 

[henryscat]

If people maintained their burglar alarms properly and replaced the back up batteries every few years then they wouldn't go off. It is very annoying when everywhere goes up in sirens.

 

[Darren]

I went off here i was watching Andy Murray at the time and there was loads of car alarms going off.

 

[darben]

If people maintained their burglar alarms properly and replaced the back up batteries every few years then they wouldn't go off. It is very annoying when everywhere goes up in sirens.

??...
Ours is maintained!

If the battery wasn't working the alarm wouldn't have sounded would it?

However, I will query it with the maintenance company we pay to maintain it, as it is bloody annoying!

 

[shoes]

If people maintained their burglar alarms properly and replaced the back up batteries every few years then they wouldn't go off. It is very annoying when everywhere goes up in sirens.

Yes, yes it is. Especially when you live somewhere where every single house was fitted with an alarm by the builder. A 1990's alarm at that which is set off by the slightest of breezes at the best of times.