UK Power Network storm preparation information

In preparation for Storms Dudley and Eunice, which are expected to arrive consecutively in the UK from today (Wednesday 16th February) we have received an email from UK Power Networks outlining what actions people should take and where they can get the information they require should there be power outages, which you may find useful to share with your communities:

UK Power Networks:

UK Power Networks manages the local power lines and substations which distribute electricity to over 8.3m homes and businesses across London, the South East and the East of England.

Storm Dudley will arrive today and is forecast to have a minimal impact on our network. However, Storm Eunice is expected to arrive on Friday 18th February and is expected to bring stronger winds and unsettled weather.

Our electricity network is built to be resilient but strong winds and heavy rain can bring down branches and trees, damaging overhead power lines. Where this happens we work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.

We have organised for additional staff in our contact centre and more engineers on the ground, particularly for Storm Eunice, to be available to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather.

Residents will be able to find regular updates and information about individual power cuts on the UK Power website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk . We will also be posting general updates on @UKPowerNetworks .

Anyone experiencing a power cut should:

• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut and type in their postcode to view our live power cut map, with details of individual power cuts
• Call 105 free of charge to speak to our customer service team, report a power cut or damage to the electricity network
• Tweet @UKPowerNetworks to report a power cut or to receive updates
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest updates

We advise people to stay clear of power lines and report damaged power lines immediately by calling 105 free from either a landline or a mobile phone. If they see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public they should call 999.

We provide extra help to customers on our Priority Service Register during a power cut. Households with older or disabled people, those with children under five, or where someone uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity as well as other reasons can join the register. You can find out more information about our Priority Service on our website: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority .

If you would like to share information with your constituents about preparing for the storm or registering for the Priority Service Register, you might like to share the following on Twitter or to your local Facebook pages:

As a result of #StormEunice, heavy rain and high winds are due to arrive on Fri 18th Feb. @UKPowerNetworks has extra field engineers and call centre staff on hand to support any customers affected. Call 105 to report a power cut or visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut #ukpnnews

Do you, or someone you know, need extra support during a power cut? @UKPowerNetworks provides free services to customers in vulnerable circumstances during a power cut. Visit ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority for more information. #StormEunice #ukpnnews

I hope that you find this information useful.