RESIDENTS impacted by power outages in County Durham over the last ten days have reacted angrily after suggestions that they’d have to wait for up to three months to be compensated for their time without electricity.
Many communities across the region were left without electric and heating on Friday, November 27 when Storm Arwen hit the North East with torrential rain, snow and high winds – with many of them struggling for food, warmth, and other amenities.
It comes as Conservative MPs from County Durham have spoken out over issues surrounding Storm Arwen and the rebuild of parts of the constituencies.
Read more: Latest on Storm Arwen power cuts affecting North East homes
Despite power being restored to 239,300 of the initial 240,000 houses impacted in the ten days that has followed – there remains 700 that aren’t reconnected to the main network.
In the aftermath of the power shortages, talk has now turned to compensation and reimbursing people for the food, hotel stays, and hot drinks people purchased while they didn’t have power.
However, there are suggestions that the compensation scheme could take as long as three months to distribute across everyone impacted by Storm Arwen, due to Northern Powergrid allegedly waiting until all the affected properties are back on the network.
Tracey Metcalfe, who lives in Coronation, Bishop Auckland, was left without power for seven days after losing electricity and heating on Friday, November 27, and was forced to stay warm by lighting candles and piling up all the blankets she owned.
During the seven days without power, Mrs Metcalfe has had to buy meals, shopping and borrow money from friends and family to “make ends meet” while battling with no electricity and heating in her home.
According to the Coronation resident, the feeling of “elation” she felt when her power came back on was soon replaced with the “horrible feeling” of thinking about claiming money back from Northern Powergrid, which includes providing the operator with receipts of purchase.
She said: “Quickly after the power was restored, word went around about what Northern Powergrid need to give you money back from the power outage.
“Receipts are needed. That’s okay for most people but I don’t keep receipts, I use cash and then get rid of the receipts as soon as I’ve done my shopping.
“I don’t get paid for another few weeks and I have very little to my name right now. I’ve had to borrow cash, and now to be told that it could be three months until I get any money back is devastating.”
Following the news that the compensation scheme could take up to three months, MPs from County Durham have intervened in the debate – saying that a 12 week wait for reimbursements is “unacceptable” from Northern Powergrid.
In a joint statement MPs Richard Holden and Dehenna Davison, said: “For our constituents across North West Durham and Bishop Auckland to have to wait up to three months for compensation, especially in the run up to Christmas, is utterly unacceptable.
“We are glad ministers are exerting maximum pressure on Northern Powergrid to get this timeframe reduced but it’s time for Northern Powergrid to step up and ensure that all our constituents get the compensation they deserve as soon as possible.”
Member of Parliament for North Durham, Kevan Jones, has also challenged the government to “step up” and process requests from affected residents before Christmas.
He said: “I would urge the government to fast-track compensation for residents who have had to endure these conditions over the previous days, especially considering that the added expense of Christmas is just around the corner.
“It is entirely unacceptable for residents to be told they will have to wait three months to be compensated."
In response to the news that compensation could take up to three months, Paul Glendinning, executive director at Northern Powergrid, has reassured impacted residents that they are continuing to provide financial help, but their priority remains with reconnecting the 700 houses still without power.
He said: “Our top priorities are reconnecting our customers as soon as possible, keeping them informed to the best of our abilities and doing everything we can to support the wider effort in our communities aimed at helping those who need us the most.
“We’re sorry for the hardship and disruption our customers are experiencing.
“We have made financial and practical assistance available to help people through this challenging situation. We understand how critical this situation is for our customers and we’re working as fast as we can to deal with a storm impact which is one of the worst that our team has seen.”
The Government has also waded into the compensation discussions, with Business Secretary, Kwasi Kwarteng, writing to Ofgem to say: "Given the significant scale of disruption caused, particularly during the run up to Christmas, I expect Ofgem to ensure Distribution Network Operators make every effort to deliver compensation to affected customers swiftly and without delay."
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