Extra electricity engineers are being drafted into Yorkshire to cope with the aftermath of expected severe storms.
Northern Powergrid says it is ready to go straight into action should Storm Barbara bring down electricity cables.
The first of a series of anticipated weather systems is expected to hit across Northern Powergrid’s operating area from around 9am tomorrow Friday through to 9am on Christmas Eve. Current forecasts are indicating severe gales with potential gusts of up to 70mph in some areas.
A further storm system of strong winds has been forecast by the Met Office across Yorkshire on Christmas morning.
There will be extra advisors at Northern Powergrid’s 24-hour contact centre which can be reached on a new, free 105 power cut number.
Northern Powergrid’s head of network operations Rod Gardner said: “We’re monitoring the weather very closely and are already taking action to ensure that we have extra engineers ready to restore power and repair any damage to our network caused by Storm Barbara and further expected strong winds over the festive period.
“Our website, northernpowergrid.com, has an easy-to-use power cut map and reporting service which our customers can use to report a power cut and get updates about what we’re doing to get their lights back on.”
Northern Powergrid’s 24/7 Twitter @Northpowergrid and Facebook pages will also provide regular updates and advice to customers and local communities.
