Probe as helicopter's survey gear causes Aberdeenshire power cut

A helicopter carrying out a survey in a search for minerals in north east Scotland caused a power cut to over 1,000 homes after it struck an electricity pylon.

The electromagnetic monitoring loop, suspended below the aircraft, struck a pylon near Balmedie on Saturday morning – blacking out homes and businesses for five hours.

SSEN engineers carried out repairs and power was restored to all 1,004 properties affected by 3pm.

Aberdeen Minerals Limited said it was aware of the incident.

Helicopters routinely survey the ground using antenna strung below the aircraft

A spokesman said: "Reports that this was a result of the geophysical array colliding with a power line are being investigated by the company and its contractors.

"We can confirm that the helicopter is safely on the ground.

"Flight operations have been suspended, pending liaison with the relevant authorities."

A spokesman for SSEN Distribution said: "We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their patience as our engineers worked to restore power as quickly as possible."