How we monitor the weather to protect our network

Overgrown foliage can touch or blow onto power lines disrupting power supplies for our customers.

Every year we invest millions of pounds on trimming trees and other foliage growing near our network to help reduce the risk.

If you spot anything too close to a power line or other electrical equipment, let us know.  You can even share a photo when you report it.  In an electricity emergency call 105. If there is a danger to life or someone is injured call 999 immediately.

Flooding can affect our substations and impact and damage our electrical equipment. 

We work closely with the Environment Agency to assess and monitor the risk of flooding and we invest in flood defences to protect key parts of our network.

By 2023 we will have delivered more than 200 flood defence upgrades over an eight-year period to help us protect against flooding from surface water, rivers and the sea.

We continue to adapt our network and operations to build resilience against climate change.

Our 2023-28 Climate Resilience Strategy will see us invest more than £16m a year.

This will include increased investment in vegetation management as hotter, wetter weather increases the growing season, protection of sensitive equipment from increased risk of heatwaves and strengthening our overhead network to increase storm resilience.

If you need information in a power cut and have access to a mobile phone, you can use our power cut map to report it and get the latest information about when we estimate your supply will be restored.

Our local contact centre team is also available 24/7 to support customers, particularly those who may not have access to mobile devices to get information or may be more vulnerable due to their medical or personal circumstances.

Simply call 105 - the free national number to report a power cut or electricity emergency - and your call will be directed to our team.

If you might need extra support or advice in a power cut due to your personal or medical circumstances you may benefit from joining our free Priority Services Membership.

If you, or someone you care for, needs the power on for medical reasons, are elderly, sick, disabled, have trouble communicating or have young children to look after, you could become a member.

We have a tried and tested Major Incident Management Plan which ensures that we put in place all available Northern Powergrid resources to support our response.  This can also include postponing planned work, engaging contractors to support our response and using industry mutual aid from other network operators across the UK to assist our frontline teams.  

We review and update our approach to ensure we apply best practice and use lessons learned from previous events to improve our response to future major incidents.