• Engineers have restored electricity supplies to 3,000 customers in Rochdale this evening
• Generators are being installed in those areas without supply. Areas where there are vulnerable customers and high customer numbers are being prioritised
• Engineers have restored power to 23,000 customers since the severe floods hit yesterday and the company is now focussing on safely connecting the remaining 3,000 customers
• Inspection of domestic wiring will have to be completed before power is restored in some flooded properties
• Bury: Power restored to 1,859 customers, 439 remain without power after second substation flooded yesterday afternoon
• Padiham: 1,490 now restored, 10 remain without power
• Croston: 89 now restored, 488 remain without power

The company has now successfully restored supplies to more than 23,000 customers. Teams from the company will continue to work through the evening and night to get the power back on for the remaining 3,000 customers.

More than 40 generators are being deployed across Lancashire and Greater Manchester to restore power and the company plans to deploy a further seven generators overnight.

As the flood water is receding, the company can ensure the safe restoration of power to properties impacted by the flooding. Once water levels drop engineers, including inspectors and meter operators from electricity suppliers, will have to carry out door-to-door safety checks on equipment to safely supply these properties. The work is being undertaken in partnership with energy supply companies.

Paul Bircham, strategy director for Electricity North West, said: “We understand how difficult it is to be without power and that’s why we are pleased that we have been able to restore power to the majority of customers in Rochdale this evening.

“I want to reassure our customers that we are doing everything we possibly can to repair the damage and restore power safely to remaining customers. We will also be deploying more generators overnight.

“I’d like to thank customers for their understanding and their goodwill to our teams during what continues to be an enormously challenging time for everyone involved. We are immensely proud of the area and the people we serve in the way they have dealt with this incident.”

Flood defences at Rochdale substation were upgraded in 2010 as part of a £468k scheme to protect power supplies against a '1-in-200-year' flood.

Electricity North West sent food vans to a number of locations throughout the day and provided 6,500 hot meals to customers without power. Six vans will be providing warm food again tomorrow and their locations will be published at @ElectricityNW

More information will be posted at www.electricitynorthwest.co.uk and on Twitter @ElectricityNW.

Vulnerable customers, including some older or disabled people, or those with a medical dependency on electricity, can also sign up to the Priority Services Register by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/priority or contacting Electricity North West on 0800 195 4141.

For advice on how to stay safe in a flooding event, please visit www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/flooding-advice.

To report a power cut please call 0800 195 4141, follow @ElectricityNW on Twitter or visit www.electricitynorthwest.co.uk.