Preparing your local electricity network for Storm Doris

Dear Stakeholder,

You may have seen that bad weather is on the way and we are likely to see high winds in parts of the East of England tomorrow (Thursday, 23 February).

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, and we have organised for additional staff in our contact centre and more engineers on the ground to be available to help customers whose electricity supply might be affected by the predicted weather.

You 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 should:

· Call 105 to report power cuts and damage to the electricity network
· Visit www.ukpowernetworks.co.uk for the latest update
· 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

UK Power Networks has a Priority Service Register for customers who may be more vulnerable and require extra assistance in a power cut. You can find out more information on our website: ukpowernetworks.co.uk/priority.

We advise people to stay clear of power lines and report damaged power lines immediately by calling 105 – free to call from a landline or a mobile phone. If they see electricity lines that are down or causing significant risk to the public they should call 999.

Preparing for a power cut
Below is some additional advice on how you can prepare for a power cut:

Keep our freephone number handy
See the website for some useful videos offering you advice during a power cut.
Keep spare batteries for radios and torches – local radio stations often broadcast helpful information
Keep an old-fashioned corded phone which you can plug in, as cordless phones won’t work in the event of a power cut
Take care if using candles, tea-lights and other naked flames
Keep fridges and freezers closed, with a blanket over as they will stay cold for many hours
Switch off all your electrical equipment, except one light which will let you know when the power comes back on
Remember the street lights may also be off so take care if you go out
Look out for elderly neighbours and other vulnerable people; please consider taking them round a flask of hot water or hot food

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

Stakeholder Engagement Team
UK Power Networks
Newington House
237 Southwark Bridge Road
London SE1 6NP