SSEN's engineers worked throughout the day to restore power to around 8,500 customers affected by the high winds inland and across coastal regions, and will continue to work through the evening to restore the handful of customers who remain without power.
SSEN was well prepared for the weather event and had already set out additional resources in areas it knew might be impacted most by the wind gusts, which reached up to 55mph in places.
Eliane Algaard, Director of Customer Operations, said:
"We enacted our well-established resilience plans in response to a forecast of unsettled conditions and I would like to thank our customers for their patience as our engineers worked quickly and safely to restore their power in challenging conditions.
"I would also like to thank SSEN colleagues who worked from early this morning to repair faults across our central southern England patch, and would like to reassure our customers who remain without power that we are doing all we can to restore their supplies as soon as possible.”
Eliane added:
"I would encourage anyone who is concerned about potential disruption to supplies during adverse weather, particularly those who may need extra support during a power cut, to find out about our Priority Services Register or to call us on 105 where our dedicated teams are available to help, 24 hours a day."
Customers are also reminded that they can prepare for the possibility of disruption to power supplies by:
- Saving the emergency power cut number – 105 – to your phone to use if your power goes off, or if you see any damage to the electricity network
- Visiting our Power Track website to get details on power cuts and restoration times, as well as to report power cuts and network damage. Or download the Power Track app on Apple or Android.
- Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
Customers can register for SSEN's Priority Services Register (PSR) if they require extra assistance. Customers are eligible for SSEN's free priority services if they:
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Have a disability
- Live with children under five
- Are blind or partially sighted
- Have a chronic illness
- Use medical equipment/aids reliant on electricity
- Are over 60
To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.