12 Oct 2018

Weather alert: Electricity North West prepared for Storm Callum (11am update)

The region’s power network operator Electricity North West is on hand and prepared for the third named storm of the season Storm Callum today.

The region’s power network operator Electricity North West is on hand and prepared for the third named storm of the season Storm Callum today.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind and rain for today (Friday) between 3am and midnight with gales of between 60mph and 65mph and a further yellow weather warning for rain for tomorrow (Saturday).

Strong winds can cause power cuts due to flying debris and trees falling onto overhead power lines. In response, Electricity North West has drafted in extra engineers and call centre agents to help monitor the network, repair any potential damage caused by Storm Callum and help customers 24/7.

Samantha Loukes, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: “We have already seen gusts of 62mph at St Bees and 50mph in Shap in Cumbria. Engineers are dealing with eight faults on the network this morning, four in Cumbria, two in Lancashire and two in the Peak District impacting 2,140 customers.

“We’ll be closely monitoring the weather and we are always prepared and we’re well-rehearsed in working around the clock to mobilise our engineers and repair any damage and get the power back on as quickly as possible if it does go off.

“We are urging people that if they see any damage to our overhead power lines please stay away and report it to us straight away so we can repair it safely.

“We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if customers need any help or advice.”

Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. Extra support is available to customers if they require it. Customers can register online by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/priority or calling Electricity North West on 105.

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 Twitter or Facebook or by calling 105.