Why do power cuts happen?

National power cuts in Great Britain are rare these days. Local outages still occur though, and are usually caused by:

• Acts of nature – lightning strikes, flooding and fallen trees can all cause damage to cables and equipment 

• Accidents – damage to cables can come from contractors working on equipment or even from people digging in their own garden. Insulation of cables can also fail as it’s difficult to predict when this will happen.

• Fire or theft – which damages the equipment on the network or in substations.

Local outages are not the responsibility of National Grid ESO, but the distribution network operators (DNOs) who maintain the power lines that connect your home or business to the transmission network. 

How to report a power cut to your distribution network operators

Distribution network operators are responsible for restoring power to your homes and businesses.

You can call 105 to report or get information about power cuts in your local area.

You can also call 105 if you spot damage to electricity power lines and substations that could put you, or someone else, in danger.

If there’s a serious immediate risk, you should call the emergency services too.