Hundreds of engineers from Electricity North West worked into the night carrying out vital repairs on a decimated power network.
Key strategic assets throughout the region were yesterday repaired as power has now been restored to more than 90,000 properties.
Eight hundred separate incidents of damage have been reported with many engineers describing Storm Arwen as the worst they have ever seen as just short of 98,000 properties have been affected.
Vital repair work will continue today as Electricity North West has drafted in even further resources from the south whilst the firm is still working with key partners throughout the region to help serve its vulnerable customers.
Stephanie Trubshaw, Electricity North West’s incident manager and customer director, said: “The aftermath of Storm Arwen is absolutely devastating, the damage is clearly some of the worst we have ever seen in the North West.
“Yesterday, progress was made, key strategic assets in Cumbria and Lancashire were repaired meaning we were able to restore power to some customers.
“Hundreds of engineers are continuing work today and we’re also co-ordinating a multi-agency response including blue light services, the NHS, local councils and other support bodies to assist those customers who need additional support.”
Repairs to the power network include removing trees from lines, repairing broken lines and poles that have been damaged by flying debris and fallen trees.
Electricity North West’s customer contact centre has also handled more than 60,000 calls and 6,000 outbound calls have been made to customers on the Priority Services Register.
And, following an extensive review of the remaining damage to the network, Electricity North West is now able to provide more accurate estimated times of restoration on their website to enable customers who are without electricity to better prepare.
Stephanie Trubshaw added: “We understand the frustrations customers are experiencing and we want to reassure them we are doing everything possible to get power supplies back on as quickly as possible.
“Providing an accurate time for restoration has been a priority for us, but it was important for us to understand the extent of the damage to the network to be able to provide this information.
“Because the damage is so widespread, it means some customers will remain off supply for a few more days. We encourage those customers to make alternative arrangements where possible and we are continuing to proactively reach out to our customers who may be in particularly vulnerable circumstances.”
