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Over 600 households across the UK were affected by a series of power cuts today, according to a map from the Northern Power Grid. These power cuts, which were localised and unrelated, were spread across the North East, affecting homes in Newcastle, Middlesborough, Hull, Leeds and Sheffield. Newcastle upon Tyne was the worst affected, with separate incidents together accounting approximately 340 homes without power. Leven, which is near Hull, saw 140 homes affected by power cuts, while Hull itself only saw a one incident where less than 10 homes were left with no electricity.
To find out whether there is a power cut in your area, you can use this map from the Northern Power Grid, which also gives information on when the power could come back on.
In Sheffield, two incidents affected 340 homes across over a dozen postcodes combined. For both instances, the company wrote: “The power cut affecting your property has been caused by an unexpected problem with the cables or equipment that serve your area.”
On their website, they advised that “if you need to report an emergency, please call 105”, adding that they were “currently reviewing how long it will take to get your power back on.”
Meanwhile, seven postcodes faced a power cut in the north of the city, with the Northern Power Grid estimating that these households should see their electricity come back by 11:30 PM tonight.
Further south in Middlesborough, two instances affected a little over 100 homes. In case, less than 10 homes in the TS7 postcode were left without power.
The electrical distribution company estimated that power should resume by around 6 PM today, once again blaming an “unexpected problem with the cables or equipment.”
Elsewhere in the city, three postcodes, accounting for about 100 homes, faced power cuts today. Fortunately, these are expected to see the electricity supply resume by 5:30 PM today.
One large village called Hunmanby in the Scarborough district saw one small incident with 20 homes facing power cuts, although these should be resolved by 6:00 PM today.
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According to Citizens Advice, customers may be able to get compensation when their electricity or gas supply goes off. In a power outage, it is the network operator’s responsibility to fix the cuts and pay the compensation.
Households facing power cuts may be concerned about the food in their fridge and freezer going off. However, experts advice that “Food should keep for between 4-6 hours in the fridge and 15-24 hours in the freezer if you can avoid opening it.”
Experts also warn that in order to prepare for a blackout, households should: “Keep a torch with spare batteries. Take care if using candles. Keep a phone with a cord, as cordless phones don’t work in a power cut.
“It’s especially important if you are unwell, less mobile or very young to keep warm. Dress warmly with layers, a hat and gloves and have blankets to hand, so you can keep warm until the power is back on. You can also reduce the heat loss by closing doors on unused rooms and closing your curtains.”
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