Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has today moved to Weather Warning in preparation for high winds that are forecast to impact its north of Scotland network region later this week.

SSEN's current weather model shows a period of gale force winds tracking across the north of Scotland from west to east from the early hours of Wednesday morning through to Wednesday night. Gusts of up to 75mph are predicted, combined with heavy rain and a risk of lightning.

The combination of the weather conditions is expected to result in a number of faults across the north of Scotland, particularly as trees are still in full leaf and pose an increasing risk of causing damage by falling onto SSEN's overhead network.

SSEN has enacted its well-established resilience plans, increasing its standby resources in anticipation of potential damage. SSEN is proactively contacting its Priority Service Register customers to offer extra assistance where required and is liaising with local resilience partners to help coordinate efforts and ensure that everyone is prepared for any interruption to supplies should they occur.

Dale Cargill, Director of Operations, said:

"I would like to reassure our customers we are well prepared for the high winds forecast for later this week and are increasing our resources accordingly. Our tried and tested resilience plans have been activated and we stand ready to respond promptly to any damage to our network this week's bad weather may bring. I would encourage anyone concerned about the potential disruption to supplies for themselves or others, particularly family members of neighbours who may need extra support, to give our teams a call on 105."

SSEN is also encouraging its customers not to approach any damage to its equipment and instead, report it to SSEN by calling 105 or report it via SSEN's PowerTrack App and engineers will investigate as soon as possible.

SSEN is also asking its customers to be prepared for the possibility of disruption to supplies by:

Saving the new Freephone 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 and to report faults or damage to SSEN's network
  • Going to SSEN's website for advice and information on how to prepare for a possible loss of power
  • Following SSEN on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates

In the event of an interruption in power supplies, SSEN's customer service team will make outbound calls to customers on its Priority Service Register (PSR) to offer extra assistance, where required. People can qualify for the PSR if they:

Are dependent on electricity for home medical care

  • Have a chronic illness or short term medical condition
  • Are disabled
  • Have special communication needs
  • Have children under the age of five
  • Are over the age of 60

To find out more about the PSR, click here or call 0800 294 3259.

High winds are also predicted throughout the week in SSEN's central southern England region. Whilst the current forecasts are not expected to result in significant damage, SSEN continues to closely monitor the situation and its teams remain on standby to respond promptly to any weather related damage to both its networks.