You may have seen the forecast of unsettled weather over the next few days with heavy rain and lightning affecting parts of the East and South East of England.

UK Power Networks are currently monitoring the weather closely and are in regular contact with the Met Office as the forecast develops.

The electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can affect overhead and underground power lines, resulting in some customers losing their electricity supply. Where this happens the aim is to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. Additional staff have been organised in the UK Power Network contact centre to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather and have called-up additional engineers to carry out repairs to the electricity network.

You will be able to find regular updates on website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and social media @UKPowerNetworks throughout this period.

Anyone experiencing a power cut should:

• Call 105 to report power cuts and damage to the electricity network, or 0800 3163 105 (from a corded phone or mobile phone if you have no power)
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest updates
• Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/powercut and type in their postcode to view our live power cut map
• Tweet @ukpowernetworks to report a power cuts or to receive updates

Public are urged to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to UK Power Networks immediately by calling 105 from a landline or mobile phone.

If they see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public call 999.

UK Power Netorks provide extra help to customers on their Priority Service Register during a power cut. Households with older or disabled people, those with children under five, or where someone uses medical or mobility equipment that requires electricity as well as other reasons can join the register. You can find out more information about  Priority Service on their website: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.

If you would like to share information about preparing for the extreme weather or the priority service register on social media you might like to use the following:

@UKPowerNetworks has extra staff on hand 24/7 to deal with the impact of the current extreme weather. Call 105 to report a power cut and visit https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/storm-centre-prepare

Do you, or someone you know, need extra support during a power cut? @UKPowerNetworks provides free services to vulnerable customers. Visit https://www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk/power-cut/priority-services-register for more information.