Substation fire that shut Heathrow Airport was preventable, says report

The empty arrivals concourse at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport (Heather Clifton/PA)

British energy watchdog Ofgem has launched an investigation after a report found a fire that caused the shutdown of Heathrow Airport was due to a preventable technical fault.

The report by the National Energy System Operator (Neso) said an “elevated moisture reading” had been found in oil samples at the North Hyde substation in west London in July 2018, but action was not taken to replace electrical insulators known as bushings.