Engineers restore Lancashire power cuts caused by Storm Bella

Engineers from Electricity North West have battled difficult conditions repairing damage to the power network as Storm Bella brought severe gales to the region.
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Since the storm first hit on December 26, bringing severe gales and heavy rain, engineers have restored power to more than 5,800 customers across Cumbria, Lancashire and the Peak District.

And in the early hours of this morning, December 28, a power cut in Lea, off Blackpool Road, was restored along with other power shortages in Southport, Lytham St Annes and Chorley.

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Electricity North West has now handled more than 1,400 direct complaints from customers during the adverse weather conditions.

Mark Mercer, network systems manager for Electricity North West, said: “Our engineers have battled some difficult weather conditions last night and again today and I’m really proud that we’ve been able to restore power to more than 5,800 properties since Storm Bella first battered our region.

“I would like to thank our customers for their patience and support today and yesterday, and again our teams for pulling together to respond in tough conditions.”

In the lead up to Boxing Day, they announced that they were prepared, with engineers from Electricity North West waiting on standby for the second name storm of the season.

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Electricity North West is now urging people to stay safe and if they see any damage to overhead power lines to stay away and report it straight away.

Electricity North West attended power issues across Lancashire, including Preston and ChorleyElectricity North West attended power issues across Lancashire, including Preston and Chorley
Electricity North West attended power issues across Lancashire, including Preston and Chorley

Sam Loukes, incident manager at Electricity North West, said: “Our plans are well practised, and we will have local teams available to respond quickly on the ground, as well as teams in our control room to monitor and respond to any situation to keep power flowing across the region.

“We invest money throughout the year to ensure our network is resilient as possible but when the weather hits, we make sure our response is as quick as possible."

Customers can stay safe and prepare themselves in the event of potential power cuts by following the simple advice here.

Live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West’s website here.