Ops stopped by power cut

A state of emergency was declared at Walsall Manor Hospital today and all operations postponed when a power cut left the whole site running on generators.

Power failed to the hospital, and over 20,000 other customers in the area, at 8.50am following damage to underground cables in Wolverhampton Road. Walsall fire station was also affected by the cut.

Patients due to undergo planned, non-emergency operations had to wait anxiously to hear if their surgery would go ahead.

Two gynaecological operations were cancelled before power was restored to the Moat Road hospital at 11am, when surgeons began to work their way down the list. One of the hospital’s main theatres was powered during the crisis in case an emergency operation needed to be carried out.

Operations would usually have started at 8.30am so staff in the surgical day unit have volunteered to work late to ensure every patient went into theatre.

The two cancelled operations will have to be rescheduled to take place within 28 days in line with national legislation.

E.on, formerly Central Networks, spokesman Jamie Majid said it was believed the power failure had been caused by “third party cable damage”.

Power was restored to almost 20,000 customers within 10 minutes of the failure, leaving around 650 in the Green Lane to Wolverhampton Road areas without electricity.

The Jubilee House headquarters of Walsall teaching Primary Care Trust in Bloxwich Lane, and Walsall fire station, in Blue Lane West, were both without power for an hour.

By Lyndsey Hunt