'Wake-up call': ministers look for answers after chaos at Heathrow

Government launches urgent investigation into airport shutdown as CEO says he is 'proud' of the response

- Jon Ungoed-Thomas

The government has launched an urgent investigation into the power shutdown that crippled Heathrow airport, with experts warning it was a “wake-up call” about vulnerabilities in the nation’s critical infrastructure.

The energy secretary, Ed Miliband, has commissioned the independent National Energy System Operator (Neso) to investigate the incident and assess the UK’s energy resilience. The regulator Ofgem warned it would “not hesitate” to take action if there were any breaches of standards or licence obligations.

Heathrow was shut down on Friday after a blaze at a high-voltage sub-station in Hayes, west London, with more than 1,350 flights disrupted and an estimated 300,000 passengers facing travel chaos. Heathrow said it was “fully operational” yesterday, although disruption to flights was expected to continue for a few days.

Counter-terrorism officers from the Metropolitan police have been leading the investigation into the cause of the fire. Police say that after an initial assessment, they are not treating the incident as suspicious.

Miliband said yesterday: “The loss of power to the Heathrow area has caused major disruption to thousands of people and many businesses. We are determined to properly understand what happened and what lessons need to be learned.