In article o.uk,
"Dave Liquorice" writes:
On Fri, 07 Sep 2012 22:17:50 +0100, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

Might be a damaged incoming underground.

Aye, I don't like the description of the sound as a "dull thud" that is
too much like a muffled explosion for my likeing.

Think I'd be getting onto the local REC, even on Saturday. If it is an
underground cable fault it could make considerably more than a dull thud
and a little flicker of the lights.

A Kentucky Fried Chicken was wrecked by a supply cable fault,
which was basically a fire/arc before the main cutout which
they couldn't put out.

Usually these things eventually turn into a good enough short
circuit to blow the upline fuse (typically 400A on a residential
street supply), or they end up burning out the cable leaving it
open circuit. Until one or other happens, it can be pretty
difficult to locate. One of my work colleagues used to do this
in the 11/33kV network, but I suspect that doesn't mess around
with just the occational pop for so long!

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]