As the energy crisis continues and household bills rise, a document has unveiled what would happen in a worst case scenario.
While the UK Government assures that blackouts would happen in only a worst case scenario, they have put measures in place in case they do happen.
As the Mirror reports, the document, known as Programme Yarrow was created in 2021 - before Russia's invasion of Ukraine - and it warns that all sectors, including transport, food and water supplies, communications and energy could be severely disrupted for up to a week during blackouts.
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This comes as the Guardian reports that the UK Government are 'stress testing' Programme Yarrow in the event of a power outage, with officials reportedly holding a series of exercises with departments and councils across the country.
Programme Yarrow was designed for unlikely situations where power is unavailable to all areas without backup generators over the colder months. The plan suggests 60 percent of electricity demand will be met "between day two and day seven", when households and businesses will have intermittent access.
An agreement between energy regulator Ofgem and National Grid states 100 per cent of the electricity demand should be restored after one week.
With that in mind, here's what it could mean for UK households if the blackouts go ahead.
Food transported to the most vulnerable
In the case of a power outage, the plan suggests there will be a focus on getting food, water and shelter to the vulnerable, including the elderly, the young, and carers, as per Wales Online.
The type of technical fault that could lead to these measures being launched include flood damage, a lightning strike on a substation, or an attack by a hostile state on power cables under the sea.
Emergency broadcasts on Radio 2 and Radio 4
In the worst-case scenario, digital radio stations would fail with only analogue FM radios available. BBC Radio 2 and 4 would be the only stations broadcasting. As the Guardian reports, the BBC has prepared secret scripts for presenters to read on-air. However, many local radio stations will only have a couple of hours of back-up generator cover.
Three-hour blackouts
In the most severe situations, British homes could face three-hour planned blackouts between 4pm and 7pm and will be given just 24 hours' notice. If necessary, it's likely they will happen in January and February next year "on those weekdays when it's really, really cold".
The plan, designed to cut power evenly across the country, could be published up to a week ahead on a rolling basis to allow people prepare themselves. The National Grid has composed an incentive strategy, starting this month, where they will pay companies and households to reduce demand during times of low supply.
A government spokesperson told the Mirror: "It is right that we plan for all potential scenarios and work with the industry to prepare and exercise robust contingency plans. This work is ongoing and is an important strand of our national resilience planning.
"Local and national exercises are a part of this work and ensure that we are able to effectively respond to any scenario, no matter how unlikely it may be."
But Labour's Shadow Business Secretary Ed Miliband said: "All governments do contingency planning for worst-case scenarios but the truth is that we are vulnerable as a country as a direct consequence of a decade of failed Conservative energy policy.
“Banning onshore wind, slashing investment in energy efficiency, stalling nuclear and closing gas storage have led to higher bills and reliance on gas imports, leaving us more exposed to the impact of Putin’s use of energy as a geopolitical weapon.”
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