Major incident declared in County Durham as Storm Malik leaves homes without power

The Emergency Planning Strategic Co-ordination Group (SCG) for County Durham and Darlington has been convened and declared a major incident after the storm brought gale force winds overnight.

The storm brought down power lines across the region and a number of properties in County Durham remain without power.

Declaring a major incident means that the partner organisations of the Local Resilience Forum (LRF) have escalated the issue in order to be in a position to provide additional support to those who are affected by a loss of power.

Chief Superintendent Richie Allen, Chair of the SCG, said: “We are working closely with all of our partners, including Northern Powergrid, to ensure that supplies are restored as soon as possible, particularly for those who are vulnerable.

“It’s just two months since many communities were left without power as a result of Storm Arwen, so we understand that residents will be anxious to ensure their supplies are quickly restored.”

In addition to power outages, officers have also been dealing with fallen trees, blocked roads and damage to properties.

They will continue to monitor the situation over the coming day to ensure people and their property remain safe and vital transport links remain open.

Cllr Amanda Hopgood, Leader of Durham County Council, said: “We would like to reassure residents that our staff are on hand to offer support to those affected by Storm Malik.

“Multi-agency partners have been working tirelessly over the day in local communities to clear blocked roads and footpaths, to clear debris and to keep our roads open. I also know many councillors are also working in their local communities and I would like to say a huge thank you to everyone involved.”

Anyone who is aware of an older or vulnerable person who needs help, can contact a customer services team on 03000 26 0000.

For information on current power cuts visit https://www.northernpowergrid.com/power-cuts and If someone is without power and is vulnerable, call 105.

Additional contact numbers are available for residents with a hearing or speech impairment. Full details are available at https://www.northernpowergrid.com/contact

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