Y2K bug eats London's electricity

Bug fix attempt backfires big-time

A botched attempted to fix the millennium bug left over 2,000 Londoners without electricity last week. London Electricity was graded 'blue' by the government watchdog Action 2000, indicating no material risk of disruption. A spokesman said: "Our Powerkey meters don't recognise the date change. They would keep supplying electricity, but would not register any price changes." The new software was to be installed when customers re-charged the meters. Of the 8,000 fixes attempted, 2,000 did not work. London Electricity said that the majority were reconnected within 24 hours, and that no one had to wait longer than 48 hours for power to return. A further 400,000 Londoners must now wait for their millennium fix until the new bug has been exterminated. ®