Goose causes power cut to hundreds of homes
ReutersA goose caused a power cut to 1,715 homes earlier this month.
The bird "brought down" overhead power lines in Barnard Castle, County Durham, at about 14:00 BST on 7 July, according to Northern Powergrid.
Hundreds of customers were without power, including at Hamire Enterprise Centre, a spokesperson added.
Northern Powergrid said its teams "responded quickly" by restoring supplies to the majority of homes and businesses while the fault was investigated. Power was back for all sites by 23:00.
The distributor confirmed the goose died following the damage.
It said power cuts happened for a variety of reasons including "occasionally, wildlife interacting with electricity network equipment".
Overhead electricity conductors were damaged causing a "high-voltage fault" in Barnard Castle, which was repaired on the day, it said.
"Whenever an interruption occurs, our teams work to restore supplies safely and as quickly as possible, while identifying and addressing the cause of the fault to help minimise the risk of similar incidents in future," the spokesperson added.
