It was a very serious event. Historically I do remember a JCB digging through the BT lines near Kilmarnock when ScACC/ScATCC(Mil) lost all radars and frequencies because BT failed to route the 2 feeds through different BT lines!
In this instance the change from mains to standby power failed due to a faulty switch - which triggered a shutdown (a very non-technical statement!). The resultant loss of all radars and R/T can only be termed a catastrophic failure. When D and D were approached for possible use of 121.5 MHz to pass urgent messages to aircraft - D and D stated that all the emergency frequencies were also lost. As stated by someone earlier - if this had happened during the busiest part of the day, the results could have been a lot worse. It should always be the case that safety is paramount, and the availability of an assured source of power to radars and frequencies must be guaranteed.
