Thousands of customers were provided an “unacceptable service” following Storm Arwen after it left thousands of homes in the North East last November, the energy watchdog Ofgem has said.
Winds of 100mph caused widespread disruption, uprooted trees and damaged power lines, cutting the electricity supply from November 26 across northern England and Scotland, with Northumberland and County Durham among the worst affected areas. Power outages lasted for more than 10 days in some areas and customers complained of poor communication from their suppliers about when they would be reconnected.
Ofgem said staff at Northern Powergrid and other power companies worked hard in difficult circumstances but found that many people were left with an “unacceptable service” dogged by poor communication, insufficient planning before the storm and a failure to contact vulnerable customers on its own register.
