Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has this morning moved to Weather Alert in preparation for storm-force winds and heavy rain forecast to impact its north of Scotland network region during the course of the day on Friday.

A period of storm force winds and heavy rain is expected to impact much of the north of Scotland, with Argyll, the West Highlands and the Inner Hebrides expected to experience the worst of the weather. Gusts of up to 75mph are forecast across the west of SSEN's patch, peaking between the hours of 6am to 3pm, before dropping off later in the afternoon. Wind speeds of up to 55mph are expected across the north of Scotland throughout the day and there is also a risk of lightning. The combination of the weather conditions is expected to result in disruption to customers supplies.

SSEN has enacted its well-established resilience plans and is well resourced and prepared to respond promptly to damage to SSEN's network, where it is safe to do so. Its teams are proactively contacting customers on its Priority Services Register (PSR) to help them prepare for bad weather and offer extra support where required.

Dale Cargill, Director of Customer Operations, said:

"We'd like to reassure our customers we are well prepared to respond promptly to any disruption to supplies, where it is safe to do so. We would encourage anyone who is concerned about this potential disruption, particularly those who may need extra support during a power cut, to call us on 105. I'd also urge members of the public not to approach any damage they see to our equipment, and instead, report it either by calling 105 or via our Power Track app, and our teams 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, or to chat live to one of SSEN's advisors via its Webchat service
  • 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 Services 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.