THE biggest ever one-day working party was carried out by Scottish and Southern Electricity (SSEN), near Haslemere, earlier this month.

The £150,000 “essential works” project saw more than 100 staff install new equipment, carry out vital maintenance and cut trees and vegetation away from overhead power lines in the Blackdown, Fisherstreet, Northchapel and Lurgashall area.

Local electricity supplies were turned off between 9am and 4pm and temporary road closures were in place.

Four sections of overhead lines were brought down to allow the tree-cutting teams unhindered access to cut back branches and minimise the risk of trees being blown into the lines during high winds and storms.

Chris Slingsby, SSEN’s head of customer operations, said: “We would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we carried out our essential work. We want to do everything we can to make sure that our network is in the best possible condition ahead of winter, and the work we have done around Haslemere is an essential part of our plans.”