Police Investigate Deliberate Power Pole Vandalism,Leaving Hundreds in Southern Tasmania Without Power
Geeveston,Tasmania – Tasmania Police are seeking facts after a power pole was deliberately felled with a chainsaw last week,plunging nearly 1,200 homes and businesses in southern Tasmania into darkness for hours. The incident occurred around 10:00 AM on Thursday at the site of the old mill near the Kermandie Football Ground in Geeveston.
The outage impacted residents in Dover, Franklin, Geeveston, and surrounding areas, disrupting essential services for approximately four hours. Initial reports led TasNetworks crews to believe the disruption was caused by fallen wires, but a subsequent inquiry revealed the pole had been intentionally cut down.
“Police woudl like to speak to anyone with information in relation to the pole being cut down or suspicious activity in the area around the time, including a person in possession of a chainsaw,” a police spokesperson stated.
anyone with information is urged to contact Geeveston Police on 131 444, quoting reference number OR785900.
TasNetworks has condemned the act as “extremely hazardous,” highlighting the possibly fatal consequences of tampering with electricity infrastructure. “Vandalising poles, tampering with power-lines or trying to steal copper has killed people across the world,” a TasNetworks representative warned. “Our assets power homes, hospitals, schools and businesses, and also lighting our streets at night. outages and repair costs caused by vandalism affect all Tasmanians.”
The investigation is ongoing.
(Image: Nearly 1,200 homes and businesses lost electricity due to the vandalism. Image / Pulse)
