SSEN has moved to Yellow Alert for its central southern England electricity distribution area in preparation for severe winds forecast for tomorrow, Thursday 23 February.

Our weather models anticipate a period of high winds across our network area, with gusts of up 65mph forecast in parts of Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and coastal areas in Hampshire and Dorset. The peak wind speeds are expected between 10am and 3pm.

Our electricity network is built to be resilient to the weather; however, given the anticipated wind speeds, some damage to equipment and disruption to power supplies is expected. In response, we have increased the levels of frontline and support staff and are moving engineers, equipment and welfare facilities to the areas that may be impacted.

  • Extra frontline and support staff are on hand to respond quickly to faults, where it is safe to do so, with additional contractors on standby should they be required
  • Mobile generation units have been strategically positioned to help restore power quickly in the event of faults to the network
  • Proactive contact being made, by phone and text, to 7,000 customers on our Priority Service Register to assess needs and offer extra assistance, where required
  • Ongoing liaison with local community resilience groups to share plans and assist communities in their preparation for any disruption

Craig Gilroy, Director of Customer Operations for SSEN, said:"Our network is built to be resilient to the British weather and we work hard to improve this resilience, with over £100m spent on refurbishment and strengthening in the last year alone. However, given the wind speeds associated with Storm Doris, some damage and disruption to customer supplies is expected."

"We've been tracking the weather for several days and have made extra frontline and support staff available and placed equipment in strategic locations. I'd like to reassure our customers that we are well placed to deal with any disruption and will move quickly to restore power, where it is safe to do so."

"Any customers who do suffer a loss of power can contact us on the new national power cut helpline '105' where they can also advise if they require extra support from our priority service."

Customers can prepare for possible disruption to power supplies by:

  • Saving the new emergency power cut number '105' to your phone to use if your power goes off, or if you see any damage to the electricity network.
  • Downloading SSEN's Power Track app to give you details of power cuts and restoration times.
  • Going to SSEN's Ready For Winter pages where there is a wealth of advice and information on how to prepare for a possible loss of power.
  • Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates
  • If people require extra help or assistance people can sign up to our Priority Service Register team. To find out more click here or call 0800 294 3259

Members of the public should not approach fallen or damaged power lines, as they may still be live.