Sponsored by
Prom blaze halts trams
TRAMS were brought to a standstill after sparks were spotted on Blackpool Promenade.
An underground electricity fault at the bottom of a post feeding the overhead power line had sparked a blaze.
Fire crews were called to the tracks on North Promenade, close to Cocker Street, after the sparks were seen coming from the bottom of the post at 11.30am yesterday.
Blackpool Transport bosses were forced to stop trams running in both directions between Manchester Square and Red Bank Road for 90 minutes while United Utilities engineers shut down two substations to pinpoint the fault.
Buses were put on to ferry tram passengers between the two points.
A spokesman for the fire service said: "There was no fire as such. The smoking and flames were caused by the electricity cables touching and arcing in the ground.
"The electricity supply needed to be shut down in order for the engineers to repair the fault.
"Once the fault was corrected we then sprayed powder on the area as a precaution."
A spokesman for Blackpool Transport said: "The problem was an electrical fault underground. At no time were the public in any danger.
"Trams could not travel between Manchester Square and Bispham in both directions so buses were put on until the service was back in full operation at 12.45pm."
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Blackpool
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 14 C to 27 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South west
