Power restored to 20,000 in Cumbria following Storm Ashley

Electricity North West engineers have restored power to more than 20,000 properties in Cumbria since Storm Ashley hit the region on Sunday.

High winds late into the evening caused branches and trees to hit overhead lines causing multiple issues on the network.

Engineers on standby swung into action, attending multiple sites to make repairs, with just 1,000 properties still to restore.

Richard Moulton, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: "The highest winds hit late yesterday up to around 11pm which caused branches and debris to damage the overhead network, mainly in North Cumbria.

"We're pleased to have restored 20,000 properties so far, including around 10,000 thanks to our investment in automatic systems - meaning half of customers were only without power for a matter of minutes.

"We have had teams on the ground since yesterday assessing the damage and making repairs, and we expect to have everyone restored later today."

Electricity North West is warning customers that some local damage may not yet have been reported. If people see damage to the power network they should stay away and report it by calling the company on 105 so engineers can make the area safe as equipment may still be live.

Extra support is available to customers in vulnerable circumstances, for instance those who rely on electricity for medical needs, are older, or have young children at home.

You can register for Electricity North West's free Extra Care Register at www.enwl.co.uk/ExtraCare.

You can view any live power cut information in the region on Electricity North West's website here, get in touch on Twitter or Facebook, or by calling for free on 105 from any phone.