THOUSANDS of people in the Wellington area were left without power on Wednesday morning (January 7) after a swan flew into high voltage overhead cables and was killed.

The bird strike happened shortly before 10.30 am near Bradford on Tone, taking out electricity supplies to more than 2,400 homes and businesses in the chilly four degrees weather.

It affected the east of Wellington and other properties in an area stretching along the A38 through Bradford on Tone as far as the outskirts of Taunton.

Power supplies were restored to 2,138 properties within the first hour, but others in the Bradford on Tone area had to wait until late afternoon.

Many of the affected properties suffered a succession of power failures in the latter half of 2025.