Western Power Distribution says Eunice is the worst storm it can ever recall in the South West of England, and tens of thousands of homes are still without electricity as a result.
A total of 31,000 customers remain without power two days after Storm Eunice ripped across England - and more than 28,000 of those households are in the South West of England, WPD said today (Sunday, February 20). The British Red Cross and the National Caterers Association are providing support to vulnerable people and the fire service has helped to set up welfare units in part of Devon.
WPD shared the update as the Met Office announced that it has officially named a third storm this week. Storm Franklin follows hot on the heels of Dudley and Eunice, bringing high winds and heavy rain to much of the UK today and Monday.
READ MORE: When and where will be worst as Storm Franklin lands
In an update this afternoon, Western Power Distribution has explained why it is taking so long for power to be restored to homes across the South West. The electricity distribution network is headquartered in Bristol but serves around 7.7 million customers across the South West, South Wales, and the West Midlands.
The company blames trees that have fallen onto power lines and across roads, which are making it extremely difficult for repair teams to reach some of the damaged areas, and debris has also caused delays in fixing faults. Nonetheless, the company says that it has restored power to nearly 477,000 customers since the start of Storm Eunice, although around 31,000 remain without power.
It says that in South Wales, supplies have been restored to 94,943 customers while 2,672 remain without power. However, in the South West, although 273,369 customers have seen their power restored, a whopping 28,400 still do not have power, with Somerset and Devon the worst affected areas.
Western Power Distribution's Operations Director Graham Halladay said: “We have texted 24,000 of our customers in the South West to assure them that we are still working on fixing the network. We care about every single customer – the thought of the difficult circumstances customers are facing is spurring on our staff who are now into their third day of repairs, with the weather outlook looking increasingly poor for the week ahead too.
"Everyone here will keep going until all of our customers have power again. The weather is not being helpful but all of our teams in the field and in our control and contact centres are determined to fix this.
“None of us can remember experiencing three storms in a week before. And certainly not of this ferocity. Once again, I urge customers who see a fallen power line to stay clear and call 105 immediately. Safety is paramount and our engineers are trained to deal with these issues and have the specialist equipment that keeps them safe.
"We are answering calls within five minutes on average and we have hundreds of additional staff from non-operational business functions taking calls so we can keep our customers informed as soon as new information is available from each site.”
The timeframe for the repairs to be completed still remains uncertain with high winds from Storm Franklin currently battering England, set to continue into much of Monday. The company estimates that customers in the West Midlands and South Wales will have power restored by the early evening today.
Customers in the South West should see their power restored by midnight tonight, but some will have to wait until Monday. Welfare units have been set up in the Bodmin area and in North Devon where the British Red Cross and the National Caterers Association are providing support, and six fire stations are also providing soft drinks.
Western Power Distribution said that it is "sorry it is taking so long", adding that as soon as repair teams complete one job, they are on to the next, but many still remain without power across England. Although repairs are underway, Storm Franklin will likely complicate matters, leaving many unsure when exactly their lights will come back on.
As of 4.45pm today, WPD's live power cut map is logging several power cuts in and around Bristol. These include one in the BS37 postcode area affecting 137 properties, and a separate outage affecting 37 properties in the BS40, BS49 and BS48 area.
Have you been without power since Storm Eunice hit? How are you coping? Our reporter, Ben, would love to hear how you are doing - if you would be happy to speak to him, please email ben.bloch@reachplc.com
READ MORE: Storm Franklin: When and where will be worst as Met Office issues fresh warning
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For the latest weather updates as Storm Franklin hits the UK, click here
