The flat-cap wearing inhabitants of trendy East London are about to see an influx of new visitors – in hard hats.

That’s because UK Power Networks is starting a £2.2 million project to improve the connections between substations in Shoreditch.

Engineers will extend a recently built 2.6 km (1.6 miles) tunnel between the East End and the City which was completed in March. They will link it to a substation in Shoreditch by building a 14m deep shaft and a 100m long tunnel between the two.

Work will begin next week and should be done within six months. The network firm said the project would increase the capacity and reliability of electricity supplies in the capital.

Project Manager Richard Leyden said: “We are preparing for significant development growth over the next decade in Shoreditch and surrounding areas such as Old Street. The work will better allow us to manage existing electricity demand, as well as enable us to meet the future needs of this changing part of London.”

The project is part of UK Power Networks’ £360 million spending programme to upgrade the electricity networks it owns and operates in London, the South East and East of England.