Power cut hits campus

A power cut affected parts of the campus on Friday 27 April for more than two hours.

Electricity was down in the Students’ Union, Costcutter, the sports centre, and campus accommodation.

Costcutter were forced to give away some of their hot food as it could not be kept in-store
at a safe temperature. Students were encouraged to help themselves to burgers and sausage rolls which were left outside the shop in a box.

First-year Chloe Edwards was lucky enough to obtain a free lunch that day. “I was just
on my way to the post room when I saw a small crowd near Costcutter. I heard someone
shout ‘free burgers!’ so I quickly made my way over and got a freebie which I was pretty
happy about!”

However, the power cut caused inconvenience for others.

“I was trying to revise in my room as I have exams soon” said one resident of Rootes. “I
couldn’t plug my laptop in, and the internet was down for ages.”

The power shortage caused the washing machines in the laundrette to switch off and they
remained broken for three days following the incident.

Students in the Rootes Hall Society Facebook group expressed mild panic.

“I’m running dangerously low on underwear” wrote one.

“A man can only go commando for so long” said another student.

The gym was temporarily closed, although the library and Westwood campus were not affected.

Press and Communications Officer Kelly Parkes-Harrison, explained how the power cut happened.

“The fault was found to be a damaged High Voltage cable (11kv) between the Boilerhouse and Scarman house” she said.

“Until we recover the cable from under Gibbet hill road we will not know how it is damaged or what by.”

“We are investing heavily in replacing infrastructure but it is inevitable that problems will
arise on a Campus this size. We are fortunate in having highly trained staff on site who can
quickly resolve issues and we react instantly to resolve any problems as soon as possible.”