Stowmarket residents are to benefit from a £6million project to boost the electricity network in their area.

UK Power Networks is carrying out the two-year scheme to refurbish a major substation in the town which serves about 11,500 customers.

The company owns and maintains the vast network of overhead power lines, underground cables and substations which deliver electricity to the doors of more than eight million customers across East Anglia, London and the South East.

Since the company was founded in 2010, it has invested about £500m a year in improving its networks to ensure electricity supplies remain reliable for all its customers.

The Stowmarket project will see new equipment installed which will enable the network to remain reliable in the event of more demand.

This will support the ongoing growth in a town which is expected to see a number of major new housing developments in the future.

The scheme will also mean that, where possible, if customers should experience a power cut, many supplies will be able to be restored remotely within a much shorter time rather than waiting for an engineer to travel to the problem.

UK Power Networks senior project manager John Seville said: “This investment highlights our commitment to ensuring the lights stay on for our customers.

“This is a substantial project which will mean supplies are more secure and will continue to be reliable for years to come.

“Occasionally power cuts can happen, sometimes through reasons beyond our control, such as weather or damage by other people.

“This scheme gives us the flexibility to restore power remotely where we can, getting the power back on in minutes for our customers.”