Photo: Shutterstock More than 90,000 customers across Great Britain remained without electricity on Sunday evening, October 25, as Storm Boelo continued to disrupt power networks, with high winds and difficult access slowing repairs.
According to the Energy Networks Association (ENA), 90,600 customers were without power at 7 p.m. on October 25. Network operators had reconnected 691,700 customers following the combined impact of Storms Austen and Boelo.
The situation had fluctuated throughout Sunday. At 3 p.m., 161,400 customers were still without power, while 677,300 had been reconnected. Earlier, at 8 a.m., the ENA reported 82,600 customers without electricity and 344,900 reconnected.
Strong winds in some regions prevented engineers from safely climbing power infrastructure to repair faults. Fallen trees and other transport disruptions also made it difficult for crews to reach certain areas. Despite these challenges, engineers continued working to identify faults and restore supplies.
Lawrence Slade, chief executive of the ENA, said network operators had anticipated disruption in northern parts of the UK and positioned staff and equipment ahead of the storm.
He said the priority was to restore electricity safely and as quickly as possible, although continuing high winds were making the work more difficult in some locations.
The disruption followed Storm Austen, which caused temporary power cuts in southwest England. Storm Boelo was expected to affect northern areas, particularly Scotland, with weather warnings highlighting the potential for damage to local power infrastructure and fallen power lines.
The ENA urged customers experiencing a power cut to visit PowerCut105.com to identify their local network operator, report an outage and obtain updates. Customers in England, Scotland and Wales can also call 105 free of charge.
People were advised to keep torches and essential supplies available, switch off appliances such as cookers during an outage, and check on neighbours who might need extra assistance. Anyone who encounters damaged or fallen power lines should stay well clear and report them by calling 105. If there is an immediate danger to life, they should call 999.
The ENA also warned that mobile masts and internet-powered landlines may stop working during a power cut, making it important to prepare alternative ways to access essential information.