People attempting to report power failures to Enemalta during recent blackouts are being told that they must first check their electricity meter before a report can be registered, a requirement that some customers say is difficult and, in certain cases, unsafe.

The procedure is intended to establish whether the outage is caused by an internal electrical fault or whether it falls under Enemalta's responsibility. However, customers have complained that complying with the request can be particularly challenging during night-time blackouts.

For residents living in apartment blocks, electricity meters are often located at ground-floor level, meaning they must descend several flights of stairs in complete darkness, as lifts are out of service during power cuts. Elderly residents and people with mobility difficulties say this places them in an uncomfortable position.

One elderly customer who contacted Enemalta on Friday to report a power outage said he was instructed to use a torch or the flashlight on his mobile phone to reach the meter and verify its status. According to the customer, he was informed that unless the meter was checked, no report could be filed.

Customers have questioned the practicality of the procedure, arguing that the very circumstances of a blackout make it difficult, and in some cases hazardous, to reach the meter, particularly for vulnerable individuals living alone or on higher floors. Checking one's meter for a possible internal fault is even more ludicrous if the caller is reporting that the whole street is in darkness.

The verification process is intended to avoid dispatching Enemalta resources to faults that originate within private installations. However, those affected argue that greater flexibility should be shown when callers explain they are unable to safely access their meter during a power outage.