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29
Nov 2021
Storm Arwen: More than 700 Harrogate district homes still without power
Storm Arwen's impact is still being felt, more than 700 homes are still without power some since Friday. Northern Powergrid has said it is doing all it can to restore power to homes.
A tree down in Swincliffe this morning.
Storm Arwen's impact is still being felt with more than 700 homes still without power, some since Friday.
According to a live map organised by Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, more than 700 homes are without power.
The areas most affected are the HG3 and HG4 postcode, particularly Birstwith, Hampsthwaite and Spofforth.
We will keeping this live blog full of updates as we get them.
Have you been affected by the storm? Please send updates on the situation where you live to contact@thestrayferret.co.uk with a description of what has happened, where and any pictures.
1.50pm - Phone signal drops in Summerbridge
Reports of a loss of phone signal are still coming from outlying villages such as Summerbridge.
One Stray Ferret reader got in touch to say she lost phone signal around midday today, her colleagues are also without.
Similar reports came in after Friday night's bad weather, the situation with signal and power to homes looks to be ongoing.
7.15am - Local resident books in to hotel due to lack of power at home
A Stray Ferret reader has got in touch to say after having no heating or hot water and being unable to cook since Friday evening left her choosing to book into a hotel.
She has called on Northern Powergrid to make updates more specific so she can see the progress on works affecting her.
November 29
7.05am - Northern Powergrid said it is still working to restore power to homes
Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, tweeted overnight to say its engineers were working through the night to try and restore power to homes still without.
https://twitter.com/Northpowergrid/status/1465110768068833288
Yesterday, it told customers they may be "off supply for long periods" due to some areas needing intensive work. It has said all planned work has been postponed so teams can focus on getting customers back on supply.
3.17pm - North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum update
North Yorkshire Local Resilience Forum, which coordinates the country's emergency response to incidents, says "emergency services, councils and utilities services continue to work together across North Yorkshire to deal with the aftermath of Storm Arwen".
The update adds:
"Whilst the strong winds have dropped, some homes and business are still being affected and there remain issues with snow and ice across much of the county.
"Northern Powergrid continues to work to restore power to homes and businesses in the area. We know, however, that some homes in parts of North Yorkshire continue to be affected.
"The Northern Powergrid website has details of when affected areas are likely to have power restored – www.northernpowergrid.com – using a live interactive map."
Speaking on behalf of the forum, Neil Irving said:
“With an issue like this storm and the wintry weather that’s followed, it’s really important that we work together closely to make sure that those who need help are able to get it.
"Our joint response across emergency services, organisations delivering important infrastructure, and local councils providing support to people, mean that we’ve been able to combine and target our help more effectively."
2.29pm - Weather warning for ice begins at 3pm
The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for ice in the Harrogate district.
The warning comes into force at 3pm today and ends at 10am tomorrow.
Temperatures are forecast to fall to about freezing tonight in Harrogate but in remote areas, such as Greenhow Hill, it will feel like minus eight degrees centigrade.
The Met Office says:
- Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths, making accidents more likely and journey times longer.
- Icy surfaces likely, increasing the risk of slips and falls.
1.51pm - Northern Powergrid update: 40,000 homes still affected
Northern Powergrid, the company responsible for the electricity distribution network across the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, has issued another update saying this is the largest storm to affect its network for 15 years.
It says power has been restored to 200,000 of 240,000 homes that suffered loss of supply. It is drafting in engineers from Northern Ireland Electricity and UKPN to resolve outstanding problems.
In a statement, it said:
"All resources available are deployed, including contractors, and the network operator, as part of an industry mutual aid agreement, has also secured additional teams from other UK network operators to bolster its response and assist with the complex permanent repairs needed following the impact of the storm.
"With more than 700 (of 1,100) incidents still to address, there is a huge amount of work to be completed. Many of the faults will require intensive work and are localised with smaller numbers of customers associated, which means some customers will remain off supply for long periods as the network operator works through this programme.
"Northern Powergrid’s teams are identifying those at risk of being off supply for more than another 24 hours so customers can make alternative arrangements."
Rod Gardner, Northern Powergrid’s major incident manager, said:
“The storm was well forecasted and despite being prepared, Storm Arwen resulted in damage of a scale and intensity not seen for 15 years.
“We’re sorry that some customers are still without power despite the huge effort by our colleagues. We understand the impact this has on peoples’ lives particularly at this time of year.
He said the company was unable to keep pace with requests for info, adding:
“We pride ourselves on being able to keep our customers informed and we are doing everything possible to keep people updated using all available channels including social media. We’re sorry for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to address this."
1.46pm - Power problems persist in Beckwithshaw
Reader Katharine Thompson informs us power has not returned to some homes in Shawfield Head in HG3
"We are only getting pre-recorded messages from Northern Powergrid when we ring their number despite being told we will get text updates.
"The last message said there were 54 houses in this postcode and 2 Leeds postcodes still without power. They estimate supply will be returned by midnight tonight but we are not holding out much hope."
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