Engineers at Electricity North West are on standby as the Met Office warn of potential power cuts this weekend caused by Storm Ciara, the third named storm of the season.
The firm, which operates the region’s power network, is stepping up its preparations following the yellow weather warning for the North West and most of the country over the weekend.
80mph gusts are expected in the region, which could cause damage to overhead power lines as debris and trees affect the network. 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.
Sam Loukes, Incident Manager at Electricity North West, said: “We monitor the weather daily and while we always have teams on standby 24/7, we can ramp this up where particularly bad weather is forecast.
“Our plans are well practiced and we will have local teams available to respond quickly on the ground, as well as teams in our control room to monitor and respond to any situation to keep power flowing across the region. Our customer team will also be available and we’ll be sending out regular updates via our social media channels.
“We invest money throughout the year to ensure our network is resilient as possible but when the weather hits, we make sure our response is as quick as possible.
“If anybody does see any damage to overhead lines or electricity equipment, we urge them to stay away and report it to us immediately by calling 105.”
You can view any live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West’s website here, get in touch on Twitter or Facebook, or by calling for free on 105 from any phone.
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 see how Electricity North West prepares the network throughout the year by watching this video.
