The region’s power network operator, Electricity North West is ready to respond to Storm Gareth as the third named storm of 2019 was named today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind for the North West and most of the country from Tuesday until Wednesday with strong winds and gusts of up to 70mph expected in exposed areas.

Strong winds can cause power cuts by blowing debris into overhead power lines or bringing lines down. In response, Electricity North West has increased the number of engineers on standby with colleagues across the organisation monitoring the forecast and ready to respond.

Mark Mercer, network systems manager at Electricity North West, said: “We always closely monitor the weather and this week is no different. We’re getting regular reports and are working together to make sure we can respond if Storm Gareth causes any issues to the power network.

“If anyone sees any damage to overhead power lines or equipment, please stay away and report it to us straight away by calling us on 105 so we can repair it safely.

“We invest throughout the year to make our network as resilient as possible but when the weather hits we make sure our response is as quick as possible. Our engineers, linespeople and customer support teams are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to respond.”

Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. For more information and to register visit www.enwl.co.uk/priority.

Customers can stay safe and prepare themselves in the event of potential power cuts by following the simple advice here www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/helpful-tips.

You can view any live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West’s website here or get in touch on social media or by calling 105.