NORTHERN Powergrid have revealed that 1,800 customers remain without power after storms Malik and Corrie left communities in the North East without power, as well as felling trees, downing pylons, and damaging property.
Adverse weather conditions, which included 90mph winds in some parts of the region, battered the power supplies of Northern England and Scotland on Saturday and Sunday, with some weather warnings still in place today (January 31).
Around 80,000 customers have been affected by power cuts during the last 48 hours, with 1,800 customers remaining without electricity and heating, according to Northern Powergrid.
Read more: Storm Malik: Compensation for County Durham power cuts
In an update given at 4pm today, the utility company have announced that additional resources have already been moved into the North East from other operating areas and from parts of the country who have not been hit as hard by the storm.
Andy Bilclough, director of field operations at Northern Powergrid, said: “It is fair to say that Storm Corrie hasn’t helped. But we are making good progress and we have more teams coming to help later in the day.
“The larger jobs that affect the supplies to multiple customers are now all underway. Some are quite large and so will run through this evening and into tonight. Our whole team’s commitment is to get as much done as possible tonight – and get all our customers back on supply as soon as possible.
“We have made good progress so far today – with around half of the customers that were still off supply this morning now restored. And all the remaining repair jobs that have multiple customers attached to them are now allocated to our teams.
"We have a separate team working on the jobs that affect only a single property, either deploying generators or arranging the repair work – whichever is quickest.”
Despite committing to working into the night, Northern Powergrid have confirmed that it might be tomorrow until some properties are reconnected to the network but has maintained that the impact seen for customers is “nowhere near” that seen in Storm Arwen at the end of November and start of December 2021.
Read more: Angry residents hit out at Northern Powergrid after further power outages in the region
Louise Lowes, head of customer service at Northern Powergrid, added: “We feel we have been able to do a better job for our customers by communicating differently in this storm response.
“We recognise that it is frustrating not to be given an exact estimate of when the lights will come back on, but in these circumstances the reality is that we are unable to be as precise as we would be under normal circumstances.
“As we near the end of this event, our focus remains solely on getting the lights back on for the customers who have waited the longest and supporting them as much as we can. Our attention will turn to the compensation process once we have reconnected all customers.
Alongside the effort of Northern Powergrid, staff from Durham County Council have been working around the clock to clear fallen trees and other debris from roads, footpaths and affected areas since Storm Malik hit the region on Saturday.
It is expected that all roads closed as a result of the storm will reopen by the end of Monday.
The council’s actions are part of a multiagency response to Storm Malik and Storm Corrie, which is being led by County Durham and Darlington Local Resilience Forum’s Strategic Co-ordination Group (SCG).
Read more: North East gets update about power outages from Northern Powergrid
On Saturday, the group, which includes the council, emergency services and Northern Powergrid, declared a major incident after Storm Malik brought down trees and power lines across the county and several properties were left without power.
Council staff, neighbourhood wardens and fire and rescue teams are continuing to visit communities known to have been impacted by the power cuts to check on residents. Food trucks have also been arranged and Durham County Council’s Area Action Partnerships have been contacting community venues to aid those able to support residents in affected areas.
Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “In County Durham, we have a proud tradition of coming together when times get tough and that has certainly been the case this weekend.
“Staff at the council, Durham Constabulary, County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service and the other SCG partners have been working tirelessly since Storm Malik hit. There has also been a huge community response and I would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their ongoing efforts.
“Thankfully Storm Corrie did not have as great an impact on our county as first forecast, but we know there are still people affected by both storms. If you or anyone you know is without power and needs help, please get in touch.”
Anyone who is aware of an older or vulnerable person who needs help can contact the council’s customer services team on 03000 26 0000. This number is available 24 hours, with out of hours emergency support available through our Care Connect team.
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