A West Cumbrian farming family hope 2026 will be the year a light is shone on a perplexing electricity issue that has plagued them for a decade.
The Walker family, who farm in Harrington, say their cattle have been affected, appliances blow up and electricity bills have gone through the roof.
The family can date the issues back to work on an underground electricity cable, which connected three other properties to the farm’s power line.
Numerous investigations over the years have identified stray voltage – and the family said it was having major ramifications on their business.
David Walker, the third generation of a farming family, said he had never seen anything like it.
Stray voltage means electricity pumped into the property does not have anywhere to go – so people and animals can become conduits for the current.
Typical signs in livestock are avoidance of water – which the Walker family has witnessed in their herd of around 150 cows – and a resulting drop in milk production.
Mr Walker said his cattle’s milk production had dropped from around 8,000 litres a year to 6,500 litres a year per cow, which was having a serious impact on his business.
Although detected several years ago and despite numerous investigations, no solution has been found.
Mr Walker said they had spent thousands of pounds investigating and employed electricians to get to the bottom of the issue without success.
However, SP Electricity North West has conducted its own investigations and declared there is no problem with its network and it must be an issue with the farm’s side of the supply.
SP Electricity North West is responsible for the network until it hits the meter installed at the business premises or home, when it becomes the property owner’s responsibility.
Both sides disagree on the findings – and SP Electricity North West ordinarily do not allow third party contractors to examine their network.
An electrician employed by the Walker family found the voltage did originate locally but may have been amplified by the network supply design.
However, SP Electricity North West said that it had agreed to undertake further investigation work, although it said it was beyond its remit, on Mr Walker’s side of the network.
A complaint to the ombudsman from the family was not upheld because the firm followed the correct protocol when investigating it.
Assessments this year by SP Electricity North West discovered triplen harmonics, often described as a hidden risk.
They can cause overloading of systems, and overheating.
David said: “We’ve had cookers blow up and melt in our houses and electronic equipment malfunctions which dairy engineers can’t understand.
“This has been going on for years.
“We have actually spent a fortune to get this issue resolved. It’s having a dramatic impact on our profitability.
“It’s difficult because it’s difficult to prove. We just want a solution.”
SP Electricity North West said it would investigate fully at the end of January and it was hopeful of a solution.
A spokesman for SP Electricity North West said: “Multiple investigations show that the incoming supply from SP Electricity North West is within the expected statutory range.
“This issue has previously been escalated to the energy ombudsman which closed the case with no further action.
“To continue to help find a resolution, we have voluntarily funded a couple of specialist companies to assist with additional surveys and monitoring equipment on Mr Walker’s private network to help identify any specific equipment which may be causing the issue.”
- Mr Walker admitted that the firm had asked for permission to replace a separate transformer in one of the farm’s fields, but he has refused it entry until the issue with his farm is resolved.
