Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) said on 25 November 2024 that it had restored supply to every customer cut off by Storm Bert. The network operator covers two distribution areas, one in the north of Scotland and one in central southern England.
SSEN described the storm as a prolonged period of severe weather that brought high winds and heavy rain across both areas, with wind speeds in excess of 65mph in coastal areas and gusts of over 60mph across inland regions1. It said the conditions caused damage to the overhead electricity network from fallen trees, branches and other wind-borne debris, and that restoration work took place in challenging conditions including significant flooding in some areas1.
"We have successfully reconnected power supplies to all homes and businesses affected by Storm Bert."
The company thanked customers for their patience while engineers worked to restore power1. It did not publish a figure for the number of properties affected, the length of the longest outage, or the number of separate faults, and none of those details has been reported1.
SSEN said unsettled weather was set to continue and that it would keep monitoring forecasts and keep teams ready for any further disruption to the network1. It also asked anyone who sees damage to its equipment to stay back, not touch it, and report it by calling 105 or through its Power Track website1.
Why it matters for households
Storm Bert is a reminder of how directly the weather feeds into a home's power supply. The failures SSEN describes were not at power stations but on the overhead lines that carry electricity to individual properties, brought down by trees, branches and wind-borne debris1. For a household, that means the exposure sits at the end of the network, close to the home, and it is the part most affected by wind and falling timber.
The storm also shows how flooding and high winds can arrive together, which matters for anyone whose plans for an outage assume they can travel or that roads will stay open. SSEN's own account notes significant flooding in some areas alongside the wind damage1.
Households that depend on electricity for heating, hot water, cooking, medical equipment or communications feel an outage differently from those with gas or solid fuel backups. SSEN maintains a Priority Services Register for customers who need extra support during interruptions, and its SSEN: Networks, Storms and Priority Services page sets out how that works. Broader context on how supply interruptions are handled sits in the national supply section, and questions about who supplies a given property are covered in the suppliers hub.
What happens next
SSEN said it would continue to monitor forecasts and keep teams ready to respond to any further disruption, and that unsettled weather was expected to continue1. No further dates or restoration milestones have been given.