Failed handbrake results in major power disruption in Dundee

A failed handbrake resulted in a major power disruption in the Hilltown.

The incident began at around 5pm on Monday, when a car rolled from its parking space on Hill Street and into a hole in the ground at the on-going building works in the street.

Power had to be switched off later in the evening to allow the car to be safely recovered.

The power was off for around an hour, causing disruption to householders and businesses.

Drivers were also impacted after power was lost to traffic lights nearby.

Robert Dow, project manager for the site being developed by Robertson, said the car’s handbrake had failed.

“The car had been parked across the road from the hole, which is behind a fence on the site,” he said.

“The car crashed into the hole which has live power cables in it.

“In order for the car to be recovered safely, the power had to be disconnected for around an hour later in the evening.”

Hill Street resident Michael Smith said: “I had just come home from work around 5pm and the car was in the hole.

“It looked like it had just happened.

“There was a crowd of workmen from the site gathered around it.

“There didn’t appear to be anybody in the car but it was nose first into the hole and was causing a bit of disruption”

Michael added: “The power went off for around an hour just after 8pm.

“I was told it was in connection with the crashed car.”

A local shop owner said: “I heard the power was cut off later in the evening.

“I saw the car in the hole at the building site.

“I didn’t know what had happened and hadn’t realised that the power cut was as a result of that.

“There was quite a crowd around the car including several police officers.”

A spokesman for the police force said: “Police Scotland were informed by SSEN that there would be a significant power outage in the area from around 8.15pm.

“Drivers were warned to drive with care as traffic lights in the area would be affected.”

A SSEN spokeswoman said: “We were alerted to an incident last night where a vehicle had rolled into an open excavation site containing underground power cables.

“No people were involved in the incident.

“For safety reasons, we isolated power to the immediate area and engineers attended on site, liaising closely with Police Scotland.

“Following essential checks and the removal of the vehicle, power was restored to all homes by 9pm.

“We would like to thank customers for their patience as we responded to this incident.”