Well in a way it is, but its also lack of inspection.
Many years ago people used to walk the lines and get trees pruned that
might hit the cables and look for overheating transformers etc, but I have
the feeling that they now plan on a given life for hardware, and do not
look so often at long low runs of cable near trees.
I've also heard via some comments from people that Ofcom are getting more
reports of interference from insulators than used to be the case, so I'd
suggest less inspection is definitely going on, or not if you get my
drift. ask a person who lives in Norfolk, they have similar issues.
Brian


I lived in rural Norfolk before moving to Leyburn in North Yorkshire 10
years ago. So often were the power cuts I bought a generator to keep the
heating and freezer going. Cuts came with amazing frequency due to us being
towards the end of quite along dead end supply line. My uncle moved to an
isolated farm house in Norfolk with its own water supply, six days without
power one winter had him searching in vain all the local hire companies for
a generator. No power equalled no water as well as no central heating, or
lighting. They learned to cook several meals on the wood burning stove!

Leyburn has the advantage of power coming in from two directions, so when
one goes down the other kicks in quite quickly. In the past 10 years I have
only used the generator once, and then only for about three hours.

This reminds me I must start and service it!

Mike