Express & Star

Two primary schools and 200 properties left without power in the Black Country

Two primary schools and more than 200 properties have been left without power after an electrical box overheated today.

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Smoke was billowing upwards from the link box on the pavement of Wheatley Road in Oldbury from around 11.40am today.

Firefighter Dean Locke took this video of the smoke:

Around 30 minutes later, two nearby primary schools lost power.

As a result, Lightwoods Primary School moved around 80 pupils from its Wolverhampton Road site to its Castle Road East campus, while Our Lady and St Hubert's on Moat Road was also affected.

Meanwhile a total of 216 properties have been hit by the power cut.

Three firefighters from Oldbury fire station were sent to the scene at the junction of Wheatley Road and Clent Road, where Western Power Distribution workers have been fixing the electrical fault.

A West Midlands Fire Service Spokesman said: "Local residents and a school have been affected due to an electrical interruption. We sent three firefighters on a brigade response vehicle from Oldbury."

The road was cordoned off to the public as a safety precaution while smoke continued to pour from the link box.

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