Openreach are not allowed to divulge details of causes, apart from to the presumed cause. So there�s a chance the OP will never know.

I know that, it was that the OP alluded to another utility do some work close-by and wondered what that was.

Yes, sorry, rereading it all makes sense now.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Yes, sorry, rereading it all makes sense now.

Sorry to have sounded a little mysterious about it but I was waiting for something to occur today as a check.

3 days before the fault developed, Northern Electric were carrying out some line replacement and pole transformer replacement works several hundred metres away to the west. I knew that works were going on that necessitated our power being off for 5 hours but since the works were in the opposite direction to my normal travel route I hadn't observed them directly. There were no road excavations or similar operations.

I did have a look when tracing the line route and could not see any particular signs other than the fact that the "new" transformer looked rather ancient and battered. A the end of last week we received another notice advising us of two further service interruptions this week.

First time the tatty transformer was replaced and today there have clearly been excavation works running up to it. I appreciate that this may still be 2+2 = 5, but it's the only reasonably time coincident activity nvolving power systems tbat I've been able to track down within a 1000m radius. I had not considered it at first because it was so far away from the line route, but there are no currently better candidates.

Martin.