Loss Of Power
Loss of power can occur for several reasons such as severe weather and for different periods of time.
The snow and cold weather can cause issue with electricity supplies and can be a main cause of temporary power loss.
If you spot damage to electricity power lines and substations that could put you or someone else in danger, please call UK Power Networks free of charge on 105. If there is a serious or immediate risk to life, please call 999.
For other issues, such as with a utility meter or boiler, please contact your electricity supplier (who you pay your bill to) or boiler supplier.
For more general advice and help during severe weather, please also see our severe weather page.
Who to contact during a power cut
UK Power Networks operates a free '105' service 24 hours a day. You can use this number to get information about power cuts in your area, including the cause and likely length of outage and also to report a power loss in your area.
To find out more information, please visit the Power Cut 105 website.
National Power Outage (NPO)
A National Power Outage (NPO) means a complete loss of electricity across a large part of our UK electricity network.
This would result in a longer period of time without power than a local power outage with expectation of restored power taking up to 3 days for a stable skeletal network to be in place.
The recovery of the network could see controlled power cuts being implemented on a rota basis across already re-connected communities with certain pre-assigned protected customers maintaining power during these periods of planned power outages, such as hospitals.
Preparing for a power cut
To help you prepare for a power cut if for a longer period of time, advice is given to:
- Shelter - Stay home if it is safe to do so
- Travel - Keep journeys to essential use only and ensure you have enough fuel. Public transport may be limited / unavailable
- Water - If water supply is affected, bottled water stations may be set up. Further advice can be found on our loss of water page
- Food - Keep your fridge and freezer door closed. Use tinned and dried food where possible
- Warmth - Keep warm by wearing multiple layers and keeping moving during winter months
- Further advice on preparing for an emergency, such as making a household emergency kit can be found on our emergency planning page and on the Government's Prepare website
Extra support service
If you or someone you know needs extra support during a power cut, then you may want to sign up for the priority service register. This is a free service offered to the following customers:
- Customers who are dependent on medical equipment
- Customers who are chronically sick
- Customers with a disability
- Customers who are blind, visually impaired or deaf
- Customers with young babies
- Nursing or Residential homes
- Elderly customers
Other cases will be considered too so please get in touch with UK Power Networks directly to enquire.
How to apply
If you or someone you know meets the above criteria then please apply by either:
- Calling on 0800 31 63 105 (from a landline) or 0333 32 32 105 (from a mobile)
- Email psr@ukpowernetworks.co.uk
- Write to Priority Service, UK Power Networks, Fore Hamlet, Ipswich, IP3 8AA
- Apply online on the UK Power Networks website
Advice and alerts
For further services provided, or to download more helpful advice during a power cut, please read UK Power Networks' advice to help you during a power cut.
Use UK Power Networks' interactive map, which also helps to let you find power cut contact details quickly when needed.
You can contact UK Power Networks 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
To receive updates on a power cut you can text POWER and your postcode to 80876.
Further help and links
UK Power Networks can also offer advice on helping you to stay warm and save energy. To get further advice, please read UK Power Networks' top energy saving tips.
Contact us
If you have any queries or require further information on this webpage, please contact Emergency Planning via 01233 331111 or email emergency.planning@ashford.gov.uk
