A FLOOD in one of the council-owned homes on Seabrooke Rise led to power being affected to several flats last Thursday.

For safety reasons, contractors initially removed all cabling within the unit and then removed the electricity supply for the whole of block Council staff ensured power was restored to all ground floor properties, which are fed via a separate conduit, but those on the first floor remained cut off for some time.

Staff worked late into the night to reinstate the power to eight properties and six of them had electrical supplies restored, but two had damaged meters and needed their utility supplier to repair or replace the existing meters which has to be requested by the residents themselves.

The council’s housing department, which had delivered letters to all residents during Thursday, advised the remaining two residents of what they had to do.

Officers stayed on the scene until 11pm on Thursday and provided all the affected families with the offer of temporary accommodation, torches and the Grays Riverside Community Association’s community house supplied facilities for them to cook or provide themselves with hot drinks where necessary.

Thurrock Council’s Cabinet member for Housing, Coun Tunde Ojetola, said afterwards: "I would like to offer my thanks and congratulations to all the staff and contractors who worked so hard once this issue came to light.

"They all worked as long as necessary, and without complaint, to ensure that power was restored to residents as soon as practically possible.

"From time to time emergencies occur. It is good to know that the council and its staff, residents and volunteers can work together in this way during times of crisis."