Storm Ciara: power restored to 27,000 homes across Lancashire

Working through the severe gales and heavy rain of Storm Ciara, Electricity North West employees have managed to carry out vital repairs in treacherous conditions as they worked on flooded substations and overhead lines damaged by trees and debris.

With more than 200 extra engineers drafted in by the service provider yesterday to assist with the work, the conditions have now eased but matters are still being closely monitored with more strong winds as well as sleet and snow forecast.

“Sunday was extremely busy and I want to thank colleagues who worked late into the night to ensure power was restored to our customers," said Sam Loukes, Incident Manager at Electricity North West. “I want to thank customers for their patience and support they showed as engineers worked to restore power supplies as quickly and as safely as possible.

“The conditions were some of the worst we have seen for five years, however I’m really pleased with how we handled Storm Ciara and our advanced planning certainly paid off," Sam added. “Across the country more than 750,000 properties were left without power so we’re pleased our network here in the North West has held up well and our preparations reduced the impact.

“Storm Ciara is now passing, however more bad weather is forecast; we will continue to monitor the weather closely, have engineers on standby and ensure we are well prepared for more blustery conditions.”