SCORES OF homes in the Castleshaw Valley were without light or heat for 18 hours after a power failure.
Problems began at 8am on Wednesday morning when a fault in an overhead 11,000 volt power line sparked a fire on a wooden pole on a windswept hill at Heights, above Delph.
Firefighters from Oldham rushed to the scene as the blazing pole threatened telephone wires and roads were closed as a precaution while power to homes and businesses was isolated.
A team of technicians filming nearby for a multi-million pound blockbuster film ‘A monster calls’ spent the day in the Royal Oak at Heights after production came to a standstill.
Pub landlord Michael Fancy said: “we were completely without power and used a portable stove to heat cups of tea for the team. Luckily, our log fires kept the place warm.
“It was quite dramatic because there was a real danger of much bigger problems occurring if the firefighters had not moved quickly.”
Power to 62 customers was restored at 2.30am on Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for Electricity North West said: “Our engineers worked through the night to carry out repairs and we apologise for the inconvenience caused.”
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