AS if lockdown was not bad enough, United Energy made things a little harder for some Tyabb families last week by shutting off the power for the day.
The power cut meant extra inconvenience for families home-schooling or trying to work from home, Thursday 19 August.
Kylie Morgan, of Bettina Street, said the energy provider advised residents that they “had to move a power pole”. It seemed this, coupled with all the other pressures of Melbourne’s sixth lockdown, didn’t really matter.
“If the need to move a pole was essential then I could understand,” said Ms Morgan, an essential worker, who was given notice of the planned outage a few days earlier.
“But from what I can see it’s just to make access easier for a new estate.”
Ms Morgan said home-schooling for her daughter, Abby, 10, a student at Flinders Christian College, would be that much harder.
“You’d think it could have been planned better, perhaps when we are out of lockdown.”
United Energy’s public affairs and media manager Emma Tyner said the outage was necessary.
“By moving this pole, we are improving power safety for our customers as well as supporting some other work that has been planned in the area,” she said.
“I want to assure you that we do understand how inconvenient and frustrating it is to experience a planned outage during lockdown.
“As an essential service, we do need to continue upgrading and maintaining our network during lockdowns.”
First published in the Western Port News – 25 August 2021
