SSE has admitted cutting off the electricity supply to Plymouth’s RNLI lifeboats at Millbay Marina in a dispute over unpaid landlord bills which Plymouth Plus understands amounts to tens of thousands of pounds.
The disconnection on Tuesday 19 August has triggered outrage and raised urgent questions over how one of Britain’s most critical emergency services could be placed at risk by a landlord’s utility arrears and SSE’s power disconnection.
At the centre of the row is a loophole in UK energy law. Suppliers cannot cut electricity to homes without notice, repayment options and, in many cases, a warrant from a magistrates’ court.
Yet commercial and landlord supplies are treated differently. If the meter is accessible, energy companies can disconnect it without going to court. This means that shared sites which host emergency services can be left vulnerable.
Local mariners say the situation was entirely avoidable. They argue that SSE should have ringfenced emergency assets from any risk of disconnection, while FirstPort, as the landlord’s management company, should never have allowed debts to escalate to the point of power being cut.
FirstPort, the management company responsible for the landlord account, told Plymouth Plus:
“We are aware of the situation and are investigating it as a matter of urgency.”
A spokesperson for SSE Energy Solutions (Business Energy) told Plymouth Plus:
“A landlord supply in the local area was disconnected today (Tuesday 19 August) due to an outstanding debt. This supply is unrelated to the lifeboat tower (Old Custom House) and instead serves landlord lighting and some power sockets at a different property. However, we recognise the importance of the RNLI’s operations, and we’re working with our service partner, IMServe, to arrange reconnection as soon as possible.”
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