After local residents and representatives from Lamberhurst Parish Council came to see Greg at one of his advice surgeries to raise concerns about ongoing and frequent power cuts in Lamberhurst Down, he contacted the Chief Executive of UK Power Networks, Basil Scarsella, to ask for urgent action.
The power cuts have been caused by a faulty underground cable which runs through the grounds of Scotney Castle and although it has been agreed that a new power cable will be installed, archaeological works will have to be undertaken beforehand which means that the works are unlikely to be completed by the summer of 2018. It has already taken UK Power Networks two years to reach an agreement with the National Trust and English Heritage on this.
Greg said:
"To wait yet another year for this problem to be resolved was unacceptable so I was delighted that after contacting its Chief Executive, UK Power Networks has agreed to install an additional cable outside the castle which could be completed within the next 3-5 months. This should provide a fast and reliable back-up if the main cable fails."
In June 2017, residents of Lamberhurst Down experienced at least 8 power cuts – some of which lasted a number of hours.