Weather alert: Power restored to 1,600 customers as engineers battle Storm Hector
Weather alert: Power restored to 1,600 customers as engineers battle Storm Hector
Engineers from Electricity North West are continuing to work in difficult conditions to restore power after Storm Hector continues to hit the North West this morning.
The region’s power network operator has restored power to more than 1,600 customers throughout the morning after severe wind and flying debris caused damage to overhead power lines in the region. 
Around 1,900 customers remain without power, with faults in Shap, Penrith and Workington in Cumbria and Wigan and Chorley in Lancashire. Engineers continue to work to repair the damage and restore power to these customers as quickly as possible.
There is still a Met Office yellow weather warning in place today for gales of between 50mph and 60mph until 3pm with the strongest winds expected until midday.
Chris Fox, networks systems manager for Electricity North West, said: “We’re pleased to say that the severe weather hasn’t caused extensive damage and that we have restored power to more than 1,600 customers already this morning.
“Storm Hector is still impacting our region, but we’re closely monitoring the weather and we are fully prepared with extra engineers and call centre agents to help monitor the network, repair any potential damage and get the power back on as quickly as possible if it does go off.
“We have seen gusts of up to 70mph in Cumbria, with 71mph reported at Spadeadam and 69mph at Shap. We are urging people that if they see any damage to our overhead power lines please stay away and report it to us straight away so we can repair it safely.
“We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if customers need any help or advice.”
Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. Extra support is available to customers if they require it. Customers can register online by visiting www.enwl.co.uk/priority or calling Electricity North West on 105.
Customers can stay safe and prepare themselves in the event of potential power cuts by following the simple advice here www.enwl.co.uk/power-cuts/helpful-tips/.
You can view any live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West’s website here or get in touch on social media or by calling 105.