Shropshire Star

Yellow helicopter taking to Telford skies for survey

A low-flying bright yellow helicopter will be making an appearance in the skies above Telford during the next two months as an electricity company takes a bird's-eye view of the borough's power network.

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Western Power Distribution, the electricity distribution company serving the Midlands, will be carrying out helicopter patrols across Telford and heading towards Stoke as part of its network inspection work during January, February and March.

Exact flight times and locations will be based on local weather conditions in order to make the best use of time available.

The helicopters will be used to spot potential hazards on the high voltage overhead network and to look out for any areas where future work may be needed.

Pilots will also be on the look out for trees growing into overhead lines, which can cause problems in stormy weather.

Phil Allen, logistics manager at Western Power Distribution, said: "Using a helicopter to carry out the patrols is the safest, fastest and most effective way to carry out checks on large sections of the network. Taking a bird's eye view of the network enables us to check large areas quickly.

"We're able to spot potential hazards early so that we can plan our investment and maintenance work more effectively, and do any necessary work before it causes problems for our customers."

The company is responsible for 220,000km (136,700 miles) of cables and 7.7 million customers.

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