AN investment of £24 million has been granted to upgrade electricity networks in Bicester and its surrounding areas.

One of the “biggest projects ever undertaken in central southern England”, the funding includes plans to build an 18km underground cable.

Work will be done by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks beginning next spring and are set to conclude by the end of 2018.

The upgrades will be crucial as the town continues to expand, with an estimated 10,000 new homes to be built by 2031.

Stuart Hogarth, Director of Customer Operations for Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, said: “This £24 million project is one of the largest we have ever undertaken, and is an essential upgrade to the electricity infrastructure in and around the Bicester area.

“The environment within which our network operates is continuously changing, with new properties and renewable sources of energy connecting to it all the time, and we will continue to invest to ensure that all of our equipment is able to meet this increase in demand.

“By doing this, we can continue to provide our customers with a safe, reliable, uninterrupted supply of electricity.”

The improvements are welcomed as the necessity for better electrical functioning in Bicester is known to residents.

Deputy Town Mayor Les Sibley said: “If it makes the maintenance of the lights and streetlamps better, it will be a good thing.

“You get a lot of complaints about lights not switching off or being left on all day which can’t be efficient and it takes time to take care of the issues that do arise.”