The region’s power network operator, Electricity North West is on hand and prepared for the first named storm of the year, Storm Erik.

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for wind for Saturday between midnight and 3pm with gales of between 60mph and 65mph in Cumbria and around 50mph to 60mph for the rest of the region.

Strong winds can cause power cuts by blowing debris into overhead power lines or bringing lines down. In response, Electricity North West has added more engineers on standby with colleagues across the organisation monitoring the forecast and poised to respond.

Samantha Loukes, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: “Over the next 48 hours, we’ll be closely monitoring the weather to ensure any damage is repaired and power returns as quickly as possible if it does go off. We are always prepared and well-rehearsed, working around the clock to mobilise our engineers during incidents such as this.

“We would urge people that if they do see any damage to our overhead power lines, to please stay away and report it to us immediately so we can repair it safely.

“As always, we are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if customers need any help or advice.”

Electricity North West offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. Extra support is available to customers if they require it.

Customers can stay safe and prepare themselves in the event of potential power cuts by following the simple advice with our helpful tips.

You can view any live power cut information in the region or get in touch on social media or by calling 105.