Residents and small businesses across Ivybridge and the South Hams are being visited as part of a major electricity safety inspection programme.

National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) is carrying out checks on service termination points, also known as cut-outs, at properties across the PL21 postcode area.

The programme covers communities including Modbury, Lee Mill, Cornwood and Bittaford, with NGED-approved contractors visiting properties to check that the equipment is operating safely.

A cut-out is where the main incoming electricity cable and fuse are located, usually close to the electricity meter. In most modern properties built since the 1980s, it is located in an external meter cabinet, although it can also be inside a property.

Inspectors will visually examine NGED and energy suppliers' equipment, taking photographs and recording basic details. No equipment will be dismantled, and electricity supplies will not be interrupted during the inspections.

NGED aims to carry out around 400,000 cut-out inspections each year across the South West, Midlands and South Wales as part of a rolling 20-year programme.

The company has an obligation under its Ofgem licence to inspect the assets and ensure cut-outs at low-voltage metered properties are operating safely.

Richard Brady, NGED policy engineer leading the programme, said the inspections reflected the company's commitment to maintaining high safety standards.

He said that if a defective cut-out is identified, NGED engineers will be sent to carry out repairs at no cost to the customer.

The visits will also allow NGED to record low-carbon technologies connected to properties, such as electric vehicle chargers and solar panels. The company says this information will help it plan for increasing demand on the network and make future connections quicker.

Inspectors carrying out the work will be from a company called A Coole and will be clearly identifiable as working for NGED. They will be able to provide identification.

NGED has acknowledged that the visits could be inconvenient for residents and apologised in advance.

Customers also have the option of taking their own photographs of their cut-out and meter and sending them to NGED. The company will then assess the images and decide whether a follow-up visit is required.