Around 400 households in the area around Maynard Road were initially affected after the incident yesterday evening reports Nicole Bowen

Maynard Road in Walthamstow – (Credit – Google Streetview)

Hundreds of homes in Walthamstow remain without power after suspected electrical wire theft caused major disruption in the E17 area.

Around 400 households near Barclay Road and Maynard Road were initially affected after the incident was reported at about 5.30pm yesterday (14th May).

Waltham Forest Council said the outage was “caused by electrical wire theft” and confirmed it is working with UK Power Networks (UKPN) and the Metropolitan Police while repairs continue.

UKPN engineers remain on site restoring power supplies to 280 properties, with the council saying: “We expect properties to be reconnected by the end of the day.”

UKPN said the outage was caused by vandalism to the electricity network, which triggered a “neutral fault” after a cable was damaged.

The company warned this can cause “voltage fluctuations”, meaning engineers must carry out safety checks at affected homes before power can safely be restored. UKPN has warned that roads may need to be “dug up” while repair work is carried out.

In a statement, the council said it was “providing a range of support to those in the area and protecting the most vulnerable residents affected by the power cut”.

Council teams and partners carried out overnight door-knocking to support affected residents, with torches, power banks, food and drink distributed to homes in the area.

UKPN said support services are still operating in the area, including a food van outside Shernhall Street at the junction with Maynard Road. Customer Support Vehicles have also been stationed on Barclay Road and and Shernhall Street.

The company added, “We understand how difficult this is for our customers and have customer service staff on site to visit homes, provide updates and support.”

UKPN is providing ongoing updates on the incident here: https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/incident-detail/walthamstow

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