Have you been affected by Storm Arwen?

Have you had a Power Cut from Storm Arwen?

On Friday, a red weather warning was issued by the Met Office. They warned of gale force winds and ice-cold temperatures in the name of Storm Arwen. 

Over a period of two days, Storm Arwen caused severe disruption and sadly, two deaths. 

Thousands of people across the UK have been left without power and electricity. In Lancashire, over 6,500 properties have experienced power cuts. This means no light, heat, or electricity to make food or keep medicine cold. With the Environments Agency warning of floods to several parts of the county to come. 

If this is you, you may be able to claim compensation if your electricity or gas supply has been unexpectedly cut off.

In an unplanned event such as Storm Arwen, you could receive:

• £70 if the power was off for 24 hours (this can be 48 hours if it was a severe storm)

or

• £70 for each following 12 hours, up to a maximum of £700

You can put in a claim by contacting either your local electricity distributor (within 3 months), or your local gas transporter. The distributor/gas transporter will contact your supplier to issue you the payment; this should be ASAP in the event of a storm, that is if reasonable steps weren’t taken to prevent the power cut in the first place. 

If they incorrectly refuse your claim, you should complain directly to them. 

If you would like any more help with the above, you can contact Citizens Advice, an independent, free, and confidential service who can help you deal with such financial queries and concerns. 

To find out more please visit www.northlancashirecab.org.uk. You can get advice by email by contacting enquiries@northlancashirecab.org.uk or you can ring us free on 0808 278 7882. 

Citizen’s Advice: www.citizensadvice.org.uk 

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/get-compensation-if-you-have-a-power-cut/