CHARD town centre could be affected by an electrical issue and repair work will be carried out to protect the supply and avoid disruption around Christmas.

The National Grid works starting tomorrow (Thursday, December 1) will include excavation in the footway of the High Street and might also require a road closure.

A message from Chard Town Council said: “National Grid has reported an electrical issue that has the potential to affect the centre of Chard.

“In order to protect the supply in the lead up to and over Christmas they need to urgently undertake repair work.

“Initially this will involve some excavation in the footway of the High Street opposite Boden Street to check the condition of the cable.

“A road closure of Boden Street to create a safe working area may also be required this side of Christmas to allow the replacement of a transformer.

“To mitigate the impact on businesses National Grid would look to undertake the closure on a Sunday morning to minimise any disruption.

“Works on the High Street do need to start immediately. Wales and West Utilities are currently undertaking a gas connection on the High Street in the vicinity of Holyrood Street, but believe the National Grid works will not require traffic signals so the impact should be minimised.

“Chard Town Council will report further on this matter as soon as information is received from relevant authorities.”

A National Grid spokesperson said: “National Grid is due to start emergency works in Chard town centre tomorrow (Thursday, December 1) to deal with a faulty substation.

“We will be carrying out repairs to strengthen our low and high voltage network and that initially will require excavation of the High Street footpath over the next two weeks.

“Further work will follow at a later date but there should not be any disruption to customers’ electricity supplies over the Christmas holidays.”