SP Energy Networks has issued advice to help customers stay safe in the event of any potential power cuts caused by forecast heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Kathleen over the coming days.

The Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings for parts of the UK this weekend, with conditions expected to cause traffic delays and cancellations to transport services, with the potential for power supplies and mobile phone coverage to be affected.

SP Energy Networks works 24/7 to protect network resilience during extreme weather to help reduce the chance of power loss and always responds to any issues as quickly as possible. Even with these preparations, there may be some damage to power lines and fallen trees or flooding which can cause access issues for engineers.

Guy Jefferson, Chief Operating Officer at SP Energy Networks, said: “Due to the potential for damage to our power lines, power cuts become more likely in high winds. It’s important both we and our customers are fully prepared – just in case.

“We’ll have engineers in the areas where we expect Storm Kathleen to have the most impact and our teams are on hand 24/7. The sooner we know about a power cut, the quicker we can get to work to restore supplies, so if you experience a power outage, let us know by calling the free, national emergency helpline on 105.”

SP Energy Networks’ top tips for being prepared are:

• Have the national 105 emergency helpline on hand –it’s best to keep this pinned on the fridge or saved in the contacts on your mobile phone.
• Store a battery or wind-up torch – leave this somewhere you can access easily so you can use the torch to check on the fuse box and make your way around the house safely.
• Beware of fallen power lines –power lines may have fallen because of high winds, so beware of this when venturing out of your home. Do not approach, and call 105 to report a fallen power line
• Keep your mobile charged– having your mobile phone charged means you can call the national 105 emergency helpline. It’s also worth having an analogue phone as this doesn’t run off the main electricity supply.

For more information on what to do in the event of a power emergency, visit spenergynetworks.co.uk/powercut.