132kV conductors must come down on the motorway carriageway

Two 132kV circuits have been taken off-line in Winnersh to eliminate the threat posed by a compromised electricity pylon damaged by a fallen tree. Tonight, once the pylon has been secured, two spans of cables, upstream and downstream of the pylon will be slowly and gently lowered to the ground. Fourteen families were given time to leave at their leisure earlier on Wednesday, hotel accommodation was secured for them by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) the owners of the pylon.

Richard Gough, SSEN's head of engineering said: "We've measured the falling distance of the pylon. All the properties asked to evacuate are beyond the falling distance of the pylon. "We looked at the closest buildings to the fallen tree and invited the residents to spend the night in a hotel just so they get a good night's sleep and don't hear any noise from our operation whilst we make things safe."

The M4 has been closed between Reading and Bracknell for two nights now, the second night due to the hazard of the broken pylon. The electricity circuit which was endangered by the falling tree is not a part of the higher-voltage national grid, which runs at 400kV or 275kV but a three-ended circuit linking Reading, Maidenhead and bulk electricity supply points across Berkshire. According to Wokingham Borough Council, the tree strike damaged 'three out of the four supporting legs', and critical damage has been done to the lattice steel bracings which holds the base of the pilon together.

Richard Gough is overseeing the operation with his colleague Jo Niven, SSEN's head of delivery and has a wealth of experience. In the driving rain, working in the light of vehicle headlamps since the generators had been turned off to not disturb local residents, he said "This year is my 40th year in the industry. The procedures are being used together to make sure the risk is being managed effectively.

Richard and Jo and their teams had been testing the structure with lasers all afternoon and decided that the safest way forward was to remove the structure." The lasers also showed that the tower wasn't moving. "In the next few hours when the residents have left we'll be positioning the crane to hold the tower firmly in position from the top.

"Once we've secured the tower with the crane, we'll start removing the conductors. "We're taking off two spans of conductors: one upstream of the tower and one downstream. Unfortunately some of the conductors are positioned over the carriageway of the M4 and need to be lowered over the motorway.

But residents can rely on the team to keep them safe. Richard and Jo's number one priority is public safety. Engineer Richard Gough said: "At SSEN, if it's not safe, we don't do it."

A spokesperson for National Highways said that the M4 was expected to re-open tomorrow by 3pm.