Action needed now to prevent power supply blackouts this winter, says MP
Ministers have been told to "wake up" and address power supply issues that could see supermarkets disrupted by blackouts.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has warned the food industry that power outages could be possible due to issues with gas imports.
It has reportedly asked to be briefed on how a temporary loss of power could impact food reaching the UK's supermarket shelves.
John Spellar, Labour MP for Warley, said he was "not surprised" that the energy industry had been hit by supply problems.
The former Electricians Union official said: "I have been questioning for some time the capacity for our electricity industry to maintain supplies, but the Government have been incredibly complacent and relied on power imports from Europe.
"Now Europe has its own problems on top of the block on gas from Russia, such as cuts from Norway because of lack of water for its hydro plants, and problems at French nuclear stations.
"At least the Food Department seems to be noticing, it’s time for energy ministers to wake up as well."
The Government has said that while blackouts were "not expected to happen", the country was prepared for "all eventualities".
According to reports, ministers are preparing for several days of organised blackouts over the winter.
It comes after Cabinet Office Minister Kit Malthouse revealed that hospitals are bracing for potential fuel shortages over the winter.
He said NHS bosses had been urged to ensure that their "generators are properly serviced" and "diesel tanks are full".
