SHEPD thanks Orkney customers who helped keep Abigail at bay

Engineers from Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) are sending their thanks to customers in Orkney who helped keep the lights on while Storm Abigail passed over the islands last Friday.

In two separate cases during the storm, phone calls made to SHEPD’s team to report damage allowed action to be taken before customers’ power supplies were affected. A timely call from a farmer in the Costa area helped avoid loss of power to around 330 homes in the north mainland of Orkney, while speeding up the restoration of supply for a further 25 customers closest to the fault.

Meanwhile, an alert customer near Hobbister, Stenness, enabled engineers to make a damaged wood pole safe before supplies were interrupted, allowing work to begin as quickly as possible to get the lights back on for about 750 properties.

SHEPD has reported that these were the majority of the faults caused by the storm.

With further high winds forecast overnight, customers in the north of Scotland and the islands are reminded that they should contact SHEPD on 0800 300 999 if they see any damage to the electricity network, or if their power goes off.

SHEPD’s Orkney Manager Stevie Burns said:  “When high winds and lightning cause damage to our network, we want to get there, make the site safe and get the lights back on for our customers as quickly as we can.

“I am hugely grateful for the information and help we get from our customers which makes a big difference, especially when we are working in challenging weather and limited daylight.  I would ask anyone who sees damaged or fallen overhead lines to keep away and contact us on 0800 300 999.

“I would particularly like to thank the customers who helped us keep Storm Abigail at bay on Friday – and everyone in our communities for their support and patience while we repair storm damage and restore power supplies.”