We’re in the final stages of our operation to reconnect customers following the impact of Storm Darragh. We've had an extremely busy weekend responding to widespread network damage across central southern England. The storm, which was by far the worst of the winter so far, caused widespread 70mph gusts across the entire area for a prolonged period.
Thanks to the hard work of almost one thousand team members across the region, we've now reconnected almost 87,000 customers - the vast majority of the total who lost supplies. Work continues today to reconnect 655 households as safely and quickly as we can, and our target is to have this done by the end of the day.
Our response
Throughout the storm, we’ve worked hard to repair faults, and support customers who’ve been affected:
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We’ve deployed several hundred team members out on the network each day.
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We’ve taken calls from 20,000 customers in our Contact Centre.
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We’ve been in touch with almost 73,000 of our more vulnerable Priority Service Register customers to offer them help, guidance, and support.
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We’ve served almost 4,000 meals to customers in affected areas from the hot food vans we deployed to several communities.
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There have been almost 240,000 visits to our website
As part of a wider support package, customers who’ve had no power for more than 12 hours are entitled to £30 per person for every day without power, to cover the cost of food and drink. People should keep hold of receipts and claim costs back at www.ssen.co.uk/stormclaim
In addition, customers on our Priority Service Register can claim reasonable costs for alternative accommodation if it’s expected they will be without power for over 24 hours. If customers are eligible for this, we’ll contact them to let them know and provide support for those who may find this process difficult. If a power cut is estimated to last beyond 48 hours, all customers can benefit from this support.
Eliane Algaard, SSEN’s Director of Customer Operations for central southern England, says:
📞 Help and advice
If you see any damage to our equipment, please stay back, don’t touch it and instead report it to us directly by calling 105, or via our Power Track Website, and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.
Customers are also being encouraged to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:
- Saving the emergency power cut number - '105' - to your phone to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network
- Visiting our Power Track Website to give you details of power cuts and restoration times. You can also report power cuts and network damage through Power Track.
- Visiting the "Preparing for a power cut" section on our website, where there is a wealth of advice and information, or to chat live to one of our advisors via the Webchat service
Customers are also eligible for our Priority Services Register (PSR) 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.
Support during a power cut
To keep updated with any power cuts across our network, we are encouraging our customers to save the emergency power cut number 105 and to follow us on Facebook and Twitter (ssencommunity) for regular updates.
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Priority Services Register
We all rely on electricity day to day for various things, but for some, a power cut can be worrying or difficult. That’s why we offer extra help and support during a power cut. Registering for our Priority Services helps us to help you when you need it most. All our priority services are free. -
View our tips and advice to help you during a power cut
Dealing with a power cut
If you are currently experiencing a power cut, we know this can be a difficult time. That's why wee've put together some helpful tips and advice to help you during a power cut. You can also download our useful resources to share with your family, friends, and neighbours. -
Report a power cut or damage to our network through our map
Power Track
You can stay updated and track the progress of any faults in your area on our Power Track map or report damage to our network. You can also follow the progress of planned interruptions as well as find the nearest EV charge point if you have an electric vehicle that needs charging during a power cut.