Foodbank throws away supplies because of power cut

A foodbank has had to throw away donated food amid a series of power cuts that are proving "deeply frustrating" for villagers in North Lincolnshire.

Lee Pitcher, the Labour MP for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme, said: "One resident has told me that since October they have experienced about 10 different occasions... where they have not had any power for their homes."

In the most recent incident, about 500 customers lost power due to a generator failing on 15 April, said supplier Northern Powergrid.

It added that it was carrying out work on a local substation as part of a £1m investment.

The Isle of Isle of Axholme Foodshare Project helps 300 people a week with food parcels and a community pantry, with food donated by local businesses.

Staff had to throw away chilled items after the power went off on 14 April.

The project's Paul Taylor said: "Unfortunately, during the power outages – one lasted five hours – the temperature of our fridges rose and we were forced to destroy some of the stored food.

"This obviously has an impact on the people we support as there will be less food to go around."

Pitcher said residents told him they had suffered two days of power cuts on 14 and 15 April, and it had been a problem for months.

"It is an ongoing issue – some days people have experienced blips in their power, some low power, and other days it has been off for minutes."

The MP said he met Northern Powergrid bosses in March to discuss the situation and was updated on the company's scheme to improve power supplies to Haxey.

"They have taken me through the whole scheme, start to finish, and I absolutely have confidence that once that is delivered, these problems should go away."

The supplier said: "On the evening of 15 April 2025, we were made aware of an unplanned power cut in the areas of Isle of Axholme and Haxey affecting 500 customers.

"Our teams are currently carrying out upgrade works to a local substation as part of a £1m investment scheme.

"During these works, customers were connected to a generator, which unfortunately failed. However, [power was] then successfully restored using an alternative generator."

It added: "Customers are always a priority to us, and our online power cut map is updated with the latest information. We thank our customers for their patience."

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