Heathrow shutdown is embarrassing at best – but at worst it points to serious vulnerabilities in UK infrastructure
An electrical substation fire and an entire airport shut down – with over 1,000 flights cancelled, others rerouted worldwide, and 200,000 passengers affected by the disruption.
The Heathrow closure on Friday really highlights the ‘critical’ part of critical national infrastructure (CNI) – the systems and facilities that are essential for society to function.
At best it’s an embarrassment. At worst, it points to serious vulnerabilities across the country that could be exploited by bad actors.
Heathrow first.
Heathrow needs a lot of power, the equivalent of a small town, and the bulk of this is supplied by a dedicated connection at the North Hyde substation – reflecting Heathrow’s critical status.
But that also appears to be the problem – because Heathrow requires so much power, having a second dedicated connection would likely be prohibitively expensive, especially for the low probability scenario of such a catastrophic fire. This is the first time this has happened in decades, after all.
“Fires like this are not common at all,” said Dr Robin Preece, a reader in future power systems at the University of Manchester. “If it just broke down without catching fire… you might never have noticed anything as we have sufficient alternative routes for the electricity to follow.”
The fire at the North Hyde electrical substation. Pic: @JoselynEMuirhe1
But uncommon doesn’t mean impossible – and when infrastructure is critical, it’s supposed to be protected.
MI5 in charge of critical infrastructure protection
The organisation ultimately responsible is MI5, through the National Protective Security Authority. This lists 13 national infrastructure sectors, from chemicals to nuclear, emergency services to food, space to water.
It’s a lot to look after – this map shows just some of the sites that would be considered CNI. Airports and power stations. Or the tubes that supply us with energy (gas and fuel pipelines) and internet (undersea cables).
Many of those risks are collected in the National Risk Register. This plots the likelihood and the impact of a risk.
Measuring risk chances and impact
So an accidental fire or explosion at an onshore fuel pipeline is estimated to have less than a 0.2% chance of happening in the next two years but would have only a “moderate” impact, defined as between 41-200 casualties and/or hundreds of millions of pounds in economic losses.
A civil nuclear accident has a similar probability but would have a “catastrophic” impact, defined as the loss of more than 1,000 lives and/or an economic cost of tens of billions of pounds. Pandemics also meet the catastrophic impact threshold.
A regional failure of the electricity network, one due perhaps to “a specific power substation”, is listed as having a 1% to 5% chance of happening every two years, and a moderate impact. But this is what happened to Heathrow – and the impact doesn’t appear moderate at all.
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The electrical substation in west London. Pic: PA
Catalogue of vulnerabilities
The National Risk Register is sensible planning but it’s also a catalogue of vulnerabilities.
Accidents do happen, but so do attacks. It can be hard to tell the difference – and that’s the point of what are known as “grey zone” attacks.
For example, undersea cables keep unfortunately being cut, whether in the Baltic Sea or the waters around Taiwan.
Taiwan has accused China of doing this deliberately. China responded by saying that damage to undersea cables is a “common maritime accident”.
Taiwanese coastguard in February prepares to board a cargo ship suspected of severing an undersea communications cable. Pic: AP
“Malicious actors see opportunities and vulnerabilities”, Marco Wyss, Professor of International History and Security at Lancaster University, told Sky News.
“And if you showcase vulnerabilities to such an extent as today, even if it wasn’t a malicious actor, it can give them some ideas.”
Additional reporting by Sophia Massam, junior digital investigations journalist
A British grandmother has died after contracting rabies from a “slight scratch” from a puppy during a holiday in Morocco, her family has said.
Yvonne Ford’s daughter said she travelled to the North African country in February but did not become ill until two weeks ago.
Robyn Thomson said in a Facebook post: “Our family is still processing this unimaginable loss, but we are choosing to speak up in the hope of preventing this from happening to others.
“She was scratched very slightly by a puppy in Morocco in February. At the time, she did not think any harm would come of it and didn’t think much of it.
“Two weeks ago she became ill, starting with a headache and resulted in her losing her ability to walk, talk, sleep, swallow. Resulting in her passing.”
Yvonne Ford went to Morocco in February, her family said. Pic: Facebook
Ms Ford, from Barnsley, South Yorkshire, was diagnosed with the virus at Barnsley Hospital.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said health workers and close contacts were being assessed and offered vaccination when necessary.
It said there was no risk to the wider public because there is no evidence rabies can be transmitted between people.
What is rabies and how is it treated?
Rabies is caused by a virus invading the central nervous system.
It is spread by mammals – such as cats, dogs, bats, raccoons and foxes – but in the UK it’s only found in some bats, according to the NHS.
Once symptoms appear, it is almost always fatal, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
The first symptoms can mirror a flu, while later symptoms include numbness or tingling in the affected area, hallucinations, anxiety, difficulty swallowing or breathing, nausea, vomiting, agitation, excessive saliva and paralysis.
But if seen to promptly after a bite, scratch or lick by an animal that may carry the virus, treatment is usually very effective at preventing the condition.
Treatment usually involves two or more doses of the rabies vaccine or a medicine called rabies immunoglobulin, which is a liquid administered to the wound and is only required if the patient has not had the rabies vaccine or has a weakened immune system.
The rabies vaccine is recommended if you’re travelling to a part of the world where rabies is more common.
Around 60,000 people die every year from rabies worldwide, with the majority in Africa and Asia, according to the WHO.
Read more about rabies, and how to avoid getting it, here.
Dr Katherine Russell at the UKHSA said: “I would like to extend my condolences to this individual’s family at this time.
“If you are bitten, scratched or licked by an animal in a country where rabies is found then you should wash the wound or site of exposure with plenty of soap and water and seek medical advice without delay in order to get post-exposure treatment to prevent rabies.”
The UKHSA urges travellers to rabies-affected countries, for example in Asia and Africa, to avoid contact with dogs, cats and other animals wherever possible and check whether a vaccination is needed before travelling.
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There have been six cases of human rabies associated with animal exposure abroad that have been reported in the UK between 2000 and 2024.
This includes a case in 2012, when a UK resident died after being bitten by a dog – the most common source of infection in most parts of the world – in South Asia.
The latest case was in 2018, when another Briton died after being bitten by a cat in Morocco.
Latest World Health Organisation figures show a number of deaths from rabies in Morocco have been reported every year from 2010 to 2022.
Rabies does not circulate in either wild or domestic animals in the UK, although some species of bats can carry a rabies-like virus. No human cases of rabies acquired in the UK from animals other than bats have been reported since 1902.
The grieving mother of a Scottish teenager who vanished for almost five weeks has told Sky News she believes a “third party” was involved in her son’s death – but police say there’s “no evidence” of that.
Cole Cooper, 19, was discovered dead in woods near Falkirk earlier this month following a missing persons inquiry his relatives don’t believe was taken seriously enough by police.
He was last seen on CCTV in May after leaving a house party, but police later revealed a former school friend had spoken to Cole a few days later nearby.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News, his mother Wendy Stewart, 42, revealed her son had “various arguments” in the days and hours before he disappeared.
Cole’s mum Wendy (L) and his aunt Aimee
In an emotional interview, she said: “He was only 19, he should never have been taken. I am never going to see him again. I never got a chance to give him a last cuddle and hold his hand.
“Someone has taken that away from me far too soon. Whether it be intentionally or unintentionally, I do believe there has been some involvement by a third party and the result is the death of Cole.”
The family, who organised a local vigil in Cole’s memory last weekend, have vowed to get “justice”.
Asked what that means, Ms Stewart told Sky News: “Finding the culprit and getting justice that way. Finding the person that is responsible for the death of my child.”
Police previously said 400 residents were spoken to during door-to-door enquiries and more than 2,000 hours of CCTV footage was collected.
The 19-year-old’s death is being treated as “unexplained”, with a top police officer saying “at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement”.
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A vigil was held in Banknock for Cole Cooper. Pic: PA
Cole’s aunt Aimee Tennie, 32, revealed the family’s anger over the police handling of the case as they attempt to find out what happened.
She said: “We are aware of small details surrounding the weekend leading up to it with arguments. He had a few arguments over that weekend. We want the details re-examined thoroughly.”
Sky News put all of the family’s concerns and allegations to Police Scotland.
The force initially swerved our questions and responded saying: “Enquiries remain ongoing.”
In an update later on Wednesday morning, Detective Chief Inspector Bob Williamson said: “We are carrying out significant enquiries into Cole’s death, however, at this time there is no evidence of any third party involvement.
“It is vital that we establish the full circumstances leading up to Cole’s death so that we can provide some answers to his family.
“The thoughts of everyone involved in this investigation are very much with his family and friends and officers will continue to offer them support and keep them informed as our enquiries progress.”
Ms Stewart claimed the probe has been handled “shockingly” with a failure to take her son’s disappearance seriously.
The 42-year-old said: “I have had to scream and shout from rooftops to be heard by the police. I don’t think they have handled it well.
“The police really need to take accountability and listen to families, they are reporting a missing child and understand the family knows their child best.”
Cole’s loved ones still have not been told when his body will be released to allow them to lay him to rest.
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