“These power cuts are threatening my life” says South Yorkshire woman

A woman who is in self-isolation whilst recovering from Covid-19, says she’s ‘sick and tired’ of thepersistent round of power cuts to her home, which are threatening her recovery from the illness.
Karen Gunn.Karen Gunn.
Karen Gunn.

Single mum, Karen Gunn, 50, of Hatherley Road in Eastwood, who has asthma and COPD- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease said; “I got Covid in March last year and have been diagnosed with ‘long covid’, the form of the virus where symptoms persist for months.

“My 12-year-old son came home from school and was unable to wake me and had to call for help from neighbours."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

She added: “We’ve lost power for several hours, every couple of days since the January 4 and the latest one was on Saturday morning, it’s so frightening because it’s dropped to -6C recently.

“It’s so frustrating because I get shopping delivered and fill up the freezer and the power just goes off and the food is ruined.

"My son was in the bath when the power went off the other day and he got really scared in the dark. I have to sleep downstairs so I can feel my way around,” she added.

Ashtiaq Mohammed, Manager of Yoh Burger and the petrol station on nearby Fitzwilliam Road in Eastwood said: “The interruption in power to my business has cost me thousands.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We run an American style burger take-away business and filling station on the main road and every time it happens, we lose custom and have to refund customers and lose their goodwill because it takes several days to get their money back to them.

“I’ve lost £10,000 over those six days in the burger business alone and at least £5,000 from the petrol station which can’t operate without electricity.”

Karen says she’s complained several times to Northern Powergrid which supplies her home.

She added: “Each time they claim it’s a fuse at the sub-station or a cable that’s broken underground.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“The power cuts have affected almost 200 homes and businesses in the area over these past six days.

“I need them to understand that I’m a vulnerable person, shielding with this condition, but there are also nurses and key workers who live in the area who are affected by this, enough is enough.

The Star has contacted Northern Powergrid for a comment.