Friday 12th March - 8am

We are currently working under normal conditions within WPD at the moment, with little activity on our network. 

Heavy winds and rain has meant the past couple of days have been busy for our operational field staff, Control and Contact Centre teams, restoring 69,000 supplies quickly and safely in tricky conditions.

Poor weather is still forecast over the weekend, we are continuing to monitor this closely and be ready for any impact on the electricity network.

Strong winds can result in debris blowing into overhead power lines and damaging lines and equipment. It can also restrict access to getting to incidents where roads are blocked because of flooding or trees in the road. 

If you spot any damage to our equipment, or see electricity poles or power lines that are down, please stay clear of them and call 105 immediately. 

We're prepared

Preparations remain in place so that, whatever the weather, we can work to restore power supplies quickly and safely for you in case of power cuts. Some of the measures include:

• Additional operational and engineering staff are working respond to any network issues.
• Additional Contact and Control Centre teams are available to manage the electricity network and to help customers with their enquiries.
• Every customer on our Priority Services Register that experiences a power cut is being contacted to provide information updates and offer additional support.
• Helicopters are available to fly and identify badly affected areas to hasten repairs if safe to do so.
• Generator suppliers are on standby.
• Offices will be open 24/7 if needed.

Tips on how you can prepare in case of a power cut

We have some useful tips which you may find helpful to help you prepare for the bad weather:

1. Keep our telephone number handy or save it in your mobile phone (105 or 0800 6783 105) so that you can report a power cut or call for information and advice.
2. Keep a battery/solar charger handy so that you can recharge your smart phone or tablet and follow updates on social media, our online power cut map or Power Cut Reporter app.
3. Keep your freezer shut – depending on the type of freezer you have, the contents could stay frozen for up to 12 hours.
4. Check that you have a phone available that will work in a power cut – digital or cordless ones may not work.
5. Have things like a torch or lantern ready (it is best not to use candles or paraffin lights).
6. Protect sensitive electrical equipment such as computers with a surge protector plug.
7. If you have a mains operated stair lift, check to see if there is a manual release handle that can be used to return it safely to ground level if it stops working.

If you need to report a problem, please use the free 105 nationwide emergency telephone number.

For those most vulnerable customers, we can also provide additional support during a power cut. Click on the link for more information about our Priority Services Register.

Our power cut map is live and shows localities currently affected, please use the box below to check your postcode or go straight to the map.