UK power cut threat eases as flood defences hold

LONDON, July 24 (Reuters) The threat of widespread power cuts across southwest England has diminished overnight, while over 43,000 homes left powerless by the worst flooding to hit Britain in decades have had their supplies restored, power companies said today.

As many as half a million properties could have lost their electricity had a temporary barrier around the Walham power distribution station near Gloucester been overcome by widespread flooding which followed torrential rain on Friday.

But police, firefighters and the military fought through the night to erect barriers to protect the substation as the Severn river overflowed and flood waters rose to 60-year highs, engulfing large parts of southwest England.

UK network operator National Grid said the makeshift defences had held back what is thought to be the worst of the flooding overnight.

''The situation is said to be stable,'' a spokeswoman for National Grid said today. ''They have survived the worst overnight.

But we are not out of the woods yet.'' Most of the 43,000 homes that were cut off when the Castlemead electricity substation was flooded had been reconnected by early today morning.

Only 250 homes were still without electricity after Castlemead was reopened at 0040 GMT, a spokesman for E ON UK, which owns the local power company, said.

Hundreds of thousands of homes in western England were still without running water today after the flooding which engulfed whole towns and emergency services worked around the clock to rescue stranded residents.

REUTERS GT KP1544