Antenna suspended from helicopter causes power cut near Balmedie

A helicopter carrying out a survey in a search for minerals in Aberdeenshire caused a power cut to over 1,000 homes after it struck an electricity pylon.

The electromagnetic monitoring loop, suspended below the helicopter, struck a pylon near Balmedie on Saturday morning.

SSEN engineers carried out repairs and power was restored to all 1,004 properties affected by 15:00.

Aberdeen Minerals Limited said it was aware of the incident.

A spokesman said: "Reports that this was a result of the geophysical array colliding with a power line are being investigated by the company and its contractors.

"We can confirm that the helicopter is safely on the ground.

"Flight operations have been suspended, pending liaison with the relevant authorities."

A spokesman for SSEN Distribution said: "We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank our customers for their patience as our engineers worked to restore power as quickly as possible."