Northern Powergrid told to ‘up their game’ following Ofgem report into the aftermath of Storm Arwen

One of the three energy companies identified as providing an “unacceptable service” in their response to the storm was Northern Powergrid which distributes electricity to the North East and Yorkshire.

The storm saw winds approaching 100mph batter the region causing widespread damage and destruction.

Sunderland City Council received more than 600 reports of storm damage, including 85 fallen trees. One large tree had fallen across the A690, blocking the road at Bede Bank.

Structural damage was also reported at 28 properties.

Speaking at the time, leader of Sunderland City Council, Cllr Graeme Miller, said: "We had teams working around the clock all weekend in atrocious conditions to support communities affected by the storm.

"This included removing trees in danger of falling onto residents’ homes and unblocking major routes and other roads around the city as well as helping make safe collapsed walls and gable ends and checking on elderly and vulnerable people left without power.”

Nationally almost one million homes were left without power, including large parts of the North East. Some homes in Northumberland and rural parts of County Durham ended up being cut off for more than a week, with the report identifying poor communication about when they would be reconnected and slow compensation payments.

Three network operators – Northern Powergrid, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks and Electricity North West – have paid nearly £30 million in compensation and have also agreed to pay another £10.3 million in “redress payments” to local communities.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme following the six month review, Ofgem chief executive Jonathan Brearley said: “It was unacceptable that nearly 4,000 homes in parts of England and Scotland were off power for over a week, often without accurate information as to when power would be restored.

“The main message to all the network companies is up your game and get ready for winter.

“This is a really tough time for customers right now; this is a market where everybody is having a difficult time.

“Every energy company that’s working in this country needs to be working on behalf of their customers and that means big changes for the networks.”

SEE ALSO: Storm Arwen in Sunderland: Pictures as treacherous weather hits the North East region

Findings published in the report included Northern Powergrid did not directly contact vulnerable customers enrolled on its Priority Services Register prior to Storm Arwen, which should have been carried out as part of its winter preparedness campaign, and the company accepted the performance of its call centre fell below the standards it should have been able to meet during a severe storm, potentially breaching its licence.

The report also identified plans in place to deal with the storm were not sufficient to deal with the scale of the damage.