Power restored after 43 elderly residents left without electricity, gas and running water for five hours
A National Grid substation issue was blamed
Power has been restored at a Dronfield retirement complex after 43 elderly residents were left without electricity for around five hours.
The issue at Stonelow Court was resolved at 1pm August 11, after a National Grid substation problem caused a power failure earlier in the morning.
Among those affected was 90-year-old Brian Pykett, whose son Vince remained at the complex to make sure his father was safe.
Vince said he reported the problem at around 8.30am that day, with residents, many in their 80s and 90s, left without electricity and unable to use essential equipment.
He described residents as being left “trapped” inside their homes, particularly those who rely on the building’s lift or have mobility problems.
The complex is run by South Yorkshire Housing Association.
Vince said residents rely on their buzzers to contact carers and other support when they need assistance, while some also depend on landlines as their main way of contacting the outside world.
“There are 43 residents, all in their 80s and 90s sat in the darkness, trapped in their homes,” he said.
“These are fragile people who need access to landlines and buzzers to get help.”
He also raised concerns about residents using wheelchairs who were unable to use the lift during the outage.
Some residents who had left the complex were also potentially unable to return if they could not use the stairs, he said.
Vince said the hot weather had added to residents’ discomfort, with fans unable to be used, and raised concerns about medication requiring refrigeration.
He questioned why there was no backup system to protect vulnerable residents during a loss of essential services.
“This isn’t just any housing, these are all vulnerable residents,” he said.
“With the money they pay out, things like this shouldn’t happen.”
South Yorkshire Housing Association said earlier that a National Grid substation issue had caused the power failure.
The housing association said its team supported residents and ensured they had access to water.
The power at the complex was confirmed at 1pm, bringing the outage to an end after around five hours.