Storm Bert power cuts: Northern Powergrid restores 25,600 customers

Northern Powergrid said on 23 November 2024 that it had restored power to 25,600 customers affected by Storm Bert, after wind, snow and rain across the North East, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire¹. The network operator said some customers might be without power through the night¹.

Earlier updates the same day put the scale of the disruption higher. One said nearly 27,000 customers had their supply interrupted, with Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear the most affected areas, and that over 22,000 had already been restored². A later update said over 27,000 customers had been affected and 24,500 restored³. The final update of the day, reporting 25,600 restored, did not give a total number affected¹. The figures are successive snapshots rather than a single count, and the totals differ between updates.

Northern Powergrid said its contact centre teams had answered more than three times their usual call volumes³. Its customer care teams were out in the community with specialist vans where customers could get a hot drink and charge their devices, and its customer service team was available 24/7¹. The operator said its online power cut map would continue to bring live-time updates¹.

SSEN said all its priority services are free, and listed eligibility for its Priority Services Register as including being deaf or hard of hearing, having a disability, living with children under five, being blind or partially sighted, having a chronic illness, using medical equipment reliant on electricity, or being over 60⁴. On 25 November SSEN said it had successfully reconnected power supplies to all homes and businesses affected by Storm Bert, after wind speeds in excess of 65mph in coastal areas and gusts of over 60mph inland led to damage to the overhead electricity network from fallen trees, branches and other wind-borne debris⁵.

Why it matters for households

Households in the North East, Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire served by Northern Powergrid were the most directly affected, with Northumberland, County Durham and Tyne and Wear named as the most affected areas³. Northern Powergrid said some customers might be without power overnight on 23 November¹. SSEN advised people to save the emergency power cut number, 105, to report any loss of supply or damage to the electricity network, and to use its Power Track website for details of power cuts and restoration times⁴. It also advised that anyone seeing damage to its equipment should stay back, not touch it, and report it by calling 105⁵. Northern Powergrid pointed customers to its online power cut map for live-time updates¹. Households can report a loss of supply on 105, and the Priority Services Register gives extra help during long outages to those who qualify⁴. Our guides on how long restoration takes and on storms and the electricity network set out what usually happens after severe weather.

What happens next

Northern Powergrid said on 24 November 2024 that all remaining customers whose power was affected by the storm had been restored, and that its customer service team remained available 24/7 for anyone needing additional support⁶. SSEN said unsettled weather was set to continue and that it would keep monitoring forecasts and keep teams ready for any potential disruption to the network⁵.