Electricity North West engineers have restored power to more than 66,000 properties after Storm Éowyn hit the region on Friday.

The network operator said that accessing sites was delayed because of falling trees on roads, many of which were cleared by its own tree cutting teams.

More than 137 separate damages were caused on the network due to the storm and teams across the business have responded since early Friday morning and are aiming to restore power to the remaining 7,300 properties. 

Electricity North West’s investment in technology has played a crucial role and just over 90% of properties had power restored within 24 hours. Most of the impact has been across north Cumbria with incidents seen in south Cumbria, Lancashire and Greater Manchester. 

Electricity North West incident manager, Steph Trubshaw, said: “We’ve made considerable progress and we’re continuing to support customers who are still without power and need extra help through catering, warm hubs and tailored support.

“There is, however, still a huge amount of damage to the network which will involve a significant rebuild to the network over several days. Conditions have been incredibly difficult and despite this, we’ve been able to restore power to a lot of customers much quicker than predicted.

“Given the extent of the damage, there may still be properties without power until Sunday evening, our teams will continue to provide regular updates and reach out to those who need additional help and support.”

Today, teams of door knockers will visit hard to reach areas across north Cumbria that have been impacted by the storm. A helicopter has also been deployed to help assess damage on several kilometres of overhead line circuits.  

Electricity North West’s customer team has handled over 10,700 inbound phone calls and has proactively contacted more than 16,000 customers on its Extra Care Register with updates and support in the last 24 hours.

Wind speeds across the region surpassed 80mph with damage to buildings and infrastructure along with branches and debris blown into the power network. Wind speeds remained too high yesterday in many areas to climb safely and make repairs.

Electricity North West worked with caterers across the region to provide hot meals and drinks as well as warm spaces. Yesterday, 522 meals were provided and welfare support remain in place today at:

• The Kings Arms Inn, Stainton, CA11 0EP – open from midday
• The Plough Inn, Wreay, CA4 0RL – open from midday
• The Watermill Inn, Staveley, LA8 9PY – open from midday
• The Falcon Club, Egremont CA22 2QN – open from midday
• The Pheasant Inn, Keswick CA12 5PP – open from midday
• The Watch Tree Nature Reserve CA5 6NL – open from 10am
• Crofton Hall Coffee Shop, CA5 6QB - open from 10am
• The Old Bank Tea Rooms, Aspatria, CA7 3HB – open from 8:30am

• Southwards catering vehicle, located at Millhouse Village Hall, Wigton CA7 8HR  
• The Tavern at Hale Milnthorpe, LA7 7BH – open from midday.

“Safety is our number one priority for customers and our teams,” added Steph.

“If you see any damage on the network, please stay clear and contact us immediately on 105 so we can make the site safe.

“If you need extra support, please do get in touch and we can provide assistance.”

Nationally, Storm Éowyn caused mass damage to power networks across the UK and Ireland with more than 1.1m properties affected.

Due to the severity of the storm it will be classed as a ‘Category 2 storm’ meaning that customers will be eligible for compensation payments of £85 if power has been cut off for 48 hours, and an extra £40 for every six hours afterwards. For more information, see Ofgem’s guidance.

Once all properties have been restored, Electricity North West will proactively contact customers entitled to compensation payments.

You can view the latest information on Storm Éowyn by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/about-us/news/weather-warning/. You can also get in touch on X or Facebook, or by calling 105 for free from any phone. 

Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through its Extra Care Register. For more information and to register go to www.enwl.co.uk/ExtraCare.