Network operators respond to Storm Hector

Engineers from Electricity North West got 6,000 customers back on line after the storm brought severe gales to the North West yesterday (14 June).

The region’s power network operator fixed 26 faults and repaired damage to overhead power lines caused by the severe weather and flying debris throughout the day.

Chris Fox, network systems manager for Electricity North West, said: “I’m extremely proud of the work carried out by our engineers to repair the damage and restore power to customers after the severe weather and I’m pleased to say we are back to business as usual.

“Our engineers have worked in difficult conditions to repair the damage and their job isn’t finished until the last customer is back on.”

Elsewhere, Northern Powergrid restored electricity supplies to around 28,000 customers after Storm Hector hit the North East.

High winds caused damage to the network, predominantly in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham areas, causing power cuts for 34,300 customers, the majority of which are now restored.

Andy Bilclough, head of delivery: city zones, said: “We’ve been closely monitoring Storm Hector over the last few days, ensuring we were ready to respond if the forecasted strong winds affected our network.

“Our teams have already restored power to some 28,000 customers and we’d like to reassure those still affected that our engineers will continue to work until our remaining 6,300 customers affected by Storm Hector have their lights back on.

“We invest around £1 million every day on maintaining and upgrading our network but weather like Storm Hector, which is more unusual at this time of year, can cause damage to our power network as result of fallen trees and windborne debris coming into contact with our overhead network.”

 

In Northern Ireland, NIE Networks restored power to 21,000 homes and businesses and emergency crews are currently repairing the damage caused by Storm Hector. Around 2,000 customers remain without electricity with Craigavon being the worst affected area. Severe winds, the highest recorded speeds in June since 1962, swept across Northern Ireland during the night, bringing down trees and branches across power lines and breaking poles.

Edel Creery, head of communications at NIE Networks reminded customers to contact NIE Networks if their power is disrupted: “We would remind customers that if they do lose electricity supplies they should report the fault online at nienetworks.co.uk or call our customer helpline.  Put safety first and if you do see any trees down across powerlines or broken electricity poles, keep away and call NIE Networks immediately.”

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