Dear Councillor
You may have seen the forecast of unsettled weather, expected to arrive later on today and into this evening, affecting parts of the South East and the East of England.
We are currently monitoring the weather closely and we are in regular contact with the Met Office as the forecast develops.
Our electricity network is built to be resilient but extreme weather can damage overhead power lines resulting in some customers losing their electricity supply. Where this happens we work to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. We have organised for additional staff in our contact centre to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather, and we have called-up additional engineers to carry out repairs to our electricity network.
Both you and your local residents will be able to find regular updates on our website www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk and social media @UKPowerNetworks throughout this period.
Anyone experiencing a power cut can:
· 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
We urge the public to stay well clear from power lines and anyone spotting a damaged power line needs to report it to us 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 they should call 999.
We provide extra help to customers on our 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 our Priority Service on our 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.
I hope this information is helpful and please do share it with local residents and members of your community who would find it helpful.
Kind Regards
Julie Seal
Community Affairs Officer
UK Power Networks
Fore Hamlet
Ipswich IP3 8AA
[email protected]
Mb: 07840 389335
