Thousands left in dark after electricity cables set alight

A FIRE which left 50,000 people without power and closed a motorway in Scotland’s largest city was started deliberately.

The blaze badly damaged two 132,000-volt electricity cables, plunging homes across the south side of Glasgow into darkness on Monday night.

Smoke from the fire, in a disused underpass under the A8 near Braehead, forced the closure of the road and the adjacent M8 for more than four hours.

The Glasgow Subway had to shut for half an hour after the power cut hit five stations and signalling, but no trains were stranded in tunnels. ScotRail trains were also affected.

The incident happened at 7:30pm near the Campanile Hotel in Row Avenue, near junction 26 of the M8 – the motorway spur to the Braehead shopping centre.

A two-mile section of the M8 was closed between junction 25 (Clyde Tunnel) and 27 (Arkleston) until early yesterday.

The A8 Renfrew Road remained closed last night between Hillington Road and Shieldhall Road.

ScottishPower said the area affected by the power cut, which lasted up to 40 minutes, stretched from Renfrew as far as Polmadie to the east and Giffnock to the south, and included Govan, Pollokshields, Shawlands and Cathcart.

The Southern General Hospital and Victoria Infirmary were also hit, with car-park barriers and some lifts not working, while lab tests had to be delayed until power was restored.

Network Rail said it experienced problems with trains leaving Glasgow Central at around 8pm, including lines to Neilston and Cathcart.

At the Glasgow Climbing Centre in Paisley Road West, in Govan, staff had to ask climbers to leave.

Centre spokesman Tim Hamlet said: “The lights completely cut out but our security lights came on and provided just enough light for everyone to see and safely come off the walls.

“Our emergency lighting only lasts for an hour so customers had to leave the centre as it was unsafe to continue.”

Detective Sergeant Gordon McCrae, of Paisley CID, who is leading the investigation, said: “From our inquiries so far, it would appear that the electrical cables in the disused underpass were set alight, which resulted in damage and disruption.

“Why they have been set on fire has still to be established, but it was an incredibly dangerous and very selfish thing to do.”

Det Sgt McCrae appealed for information about the incident and said fresh graffiti in the underpass showed people had been using it.

Strathclyde Fire and Rescue said 30 firefighters from Renfrew, Paisley, Clydebank, Milngavie and Polmadie were sent to the blaze.

A ScottishPower spokesman said: “Engineers were quick to respond to the incident, which happened just after 7:30pm.

“Workers were able to reconfigure the network to restore electricity to all homes by 8:10pm.”

Guy Jefferson, operations director at ScottishPower Energy Networks, said: “All of our equipment appeared to be in good working order, which may suggest third-party interference.”