London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Aug 18, 2026

UK heatwave: Thousands suffer power cuts after equipment overheats

UK heatwave: Thousands suffer power cuts after equipment overheats

Thousands of people are without power after "extreme" temperatures caused equipment to overheat.

Almost 8,000 properties in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the North East do not have electricity, with some believed to have been off since Monday afternoon.

Northern Powergrid said it was working hard to restore supply to affected homes and businesses.

Temperatures approaching 40C (107.6F) have led to conductors sagging and transformers overheating, it said.

"We worked last night and into the early hours of today to restore power after yesterday's extreme temperatures," a spokesperson from the firm said.

The company is responsible for providing power to 3.9m homes and businesses but has said there are "a higher than usual number of faults on our network" after record-breaking temperatures.

Northern Powergrid's live power cut map showed almost 15,000 homes were without electricity at about 14:00 BST.

Some shops in Church Fenton, North Yorkshire, are cash only after their power went out


Moya O'Neil, from Church Fenton, near Selby, said her power went off at about 21:00 BST on Monday evening.

"Because we rely on electricity, it's been quite unfortunate. My freezer was full, it's now all melted. That's got to go in the bin," she told BBC Radio York.
"I had a meeting today but that had to be cancelled at such short notice."


'Absolute lifesavers'


Jennie Marshall praised staff at the pub for allowing her to work from the bar


In Goole, East Yorkshire, the George and Dragon pub has been opening its doors to people without electricity for use as a makeshift office as their electricity supply has not been affected.

Jennie Marshall said the staff had been "absolute lifesavers", saying she would have had to travel to her company's office in Liverpool to work otherwise.

"I work at home so with no power, no internet, no phone battery, it's really limited. Yet again, local legends."

Philip Patterson, who lives in the village of Whitley, near Goole, urged Northern Powergrid to tell residents when they can expect their power to be restored.

"Myself and my family here are quite lucky, but other people in the area are vulnerable. They need that information to plan," he said.

"Our teams continued work this morning to restore power to the small number of homes who were still impacted, and our contact centre are offering advice and support to those who need it most," the Northern Powergrid spokesperson added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
China’s Lifelike AI Humans Move From Livestreams Into Real-World Service Roles
UK Government Rolls Out £5.8 Billion Regional Investment Programme to Revive High Streets
AstraZeneca Ends Late-Stage Lung Cancer Trial After Data Shows No Survival Benefit
London Stocks Fall for Sixth Day as Bond Yields and Middle East Tensions Weigh on Markets
UK Government Rewrites Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Hubs
UK Wildfires Spread Across Southern England as Met Office Issues Severe Heat Warnings
British Doctors Warn Cancer Care Is at Risk as Hospitals Reject More Than a Quarter of Urgent Referrals
UK Hospitals Suspend Critical Care as Extreme Heat Exposes Infrastructure Failures
Sarah Ferguson Reportedly Retreats to Late Ex-Boyfriend's Swiss Chalet
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez Sign Prenup Protecting Their Separate Fortunes
Thieves Steal Antonello da Messina Renaissance Masterpieces From Sicilian Museum
Better.com Founder Who Fired 900 Employees on Zoom Is Ousted as CEO
Italian Speed Camera Issues Nearly 32,000 Fines in 10 Weeks, Worth More Than €3 Million
AI Manager at San Francisco Store Recommends Firing Human Employee
Google Launches Pixel 11 With Gemini AI at the Center of Its Hardware Strategy
Campaigners Press Government to Strengthen Rights for Four Million Gig Workers
Government Considers Higher Private Rents to Spread Asylum Accommodation Across UK
UK Moves to Protect Historic Pubs From Conversion Into Housing and Offices
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to House of Commons
British Manufacturers Report Rising Cybersecurity Threats Across Industrial Supply Chains
Royal Navy Increases Monitoring of Russian Ships in UK Waters by 25 Percent
England Adds More Than 350 Medical Training Posts to Strengthen NHS Capacity
NHS Waiting Lists Over 52 Weeks Rise by More Than 11,000 Patients
Brent Crude Near $88 Raises Fresh UK Energy Cost Concerns
UK Treasury Warns Prolonged Strait of Hormuz Disruption Could Cut 2027 Growth to 0.3 Percent
UK Economy Grows 0.4 Percent in Second Quarter as Energy and Inflation Risks Persist
UK Heatwave Triggers Emergency Alert as Government Unveils £65 Million Farm Support Package
Reform UK Unveils Plan to Cut Welfare Spending by More Than £50 Billion a Year
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Praised Extinction Rebellion for Doing a 'Great Service'
UK Wildfire Phone Alert Triggers Backlash as Users Switch Off Emergency Warnings
Heathrow Roads Reopen After Burst Water Main Floods Access to Terminals 2 and 3
Former NBA Players Enes Kanter Freedom and Royce White Say They Will Enter 2027 WNBA Draft
Former Cambridge Professor Jason Arday Found Dead Days After Resigning Amid Plagiarism Row
US Appeals Court Rules AI Agent's Website Actions Are Legally Attributed to the User
France's Constitutional Council Blocks Social Media Ban for Children Under 15
Liechtenstein Changes Royal Succession Rules to Allow Women to Inherit the Throne
Women Allege Rape and Sexual Abuse at British Army College for Teenage Recruits
Minnesota: Two independent investigators posed as Muslims (one wearing a burqa) and showed how they could vote in elections without identification.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham Takes Regional Tour to Highlight Local Infrastructure and Environmental Problems
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
Bank of England Warns Rising Inflation Could Squeeze UK Household Incomes
UK Government Announces £65 Million Aid Package for Farmers Hit by Severe Drought
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Despite Energy Market Pressures
UK Issues Emergency Alert as Severe Wildfires Spread Across England and Wales
UK and Finland Discuss European Defence and Continued Support for Ukraine
Nigel Farage Wins Clacton By-Election to Return to the House of Commons
UK Government Deploys Military to Help Fight Wildfires and Bans Disposable Barbecues
UK Records Hottest Day of the Year as Fifth Summer Heatwave Peaks in Southern England
UK Condemns Houthi Actions and Warns of Red Sea Threat to Global Trade
UK and Solomon Islands Open Wildlife Photography Exhibition in Honiara
×