ROMSEY is one of the first areas in Britain where revolutionary equipment is being used to detect faulty electricity cables underground.

Southern Electric has invested £500,000 in 200 CableSniffer's - a sniffer dog-like probe that detects gases given off by overheated underground cables.

Once the device homes in on a suspected fault, engineers drill small exploratory holes in the ground and the probe is placed into them to confirm the problem. Southern Electric is rolling out the new technology across central-southern England and the Test Valley is next in line for the fault-finding probes, which were first used in the Portsmouth area.

A number of mid-Test Valley villages including, Mottisfont, Dunbridge, Michelmersh, Timsbury, Kimbridge and Braishfield have suffered a run of powr cuts recently and the firm say the new device could help reduce problems in these areas.

Homes at Mottisfont were left without power for 16 hours during one power cut and the interruptions to supplies have happened regularly since last autumn -leaving pubs and other businesses no choice but to close temporarily.

Southern Electric - which plans to buy more probes - says the device is already helping engineers restore failed supplies much faster and engineers are pleased with new fault detection system, which means fewer holes in roads and pavements.

Scotland-based Southern Electric is the first electricity company in Britain to use the revolutionary and aptly named CableSniffer.

Southern Electric's head of operations, Peter Webster said: "CableSniffer will be a vital weapon in our battle to reduce time householders are without electricity. We have carried out extensive trials which confirm that it pinpoints problems in underground low-voltage cables much faster and more accurately than any other method."

Mr Webster said the CableSniffer would pay for itself within hours of use. "It can cost £600 to £1,000 to dig a hole or a repair trench, so a CableSniffer unit can easily pay for itself in a single day. Any utility company that has to dig many holes each year can make significant savings."