A REVIEW of power cuts that affected hundreds of homes earlier this year has called for the electricity supplier to improve its communications.

The Richmondshire District Council study concluded that villagers found it difficult to get up-to-date information when storms hit power supplies in January.

Residents claimed the automated telephone system used by Northern Electric Distribution Ltd (NEDL) became overloaded.

The review was conducted by the council's environment overview and scrutiny committee.

It looked at how villagers, particularly the elderly, coped during the cuts.

Councillors heard that homes in the worst-affected areas were without power for four days.

Councillor Jill McMullon, chairman of the council's scrutiny committee, said: "For many people, the storms and power failure caused disruption and uncertainty.

"This local-level crisis raised several issues. The review gave us the chance to look at them and make suggestions for future actions and improvements."

The review concluded that an improvement in communication was needed to avoid a repeat of the confusion and frustration caused by the power cuts.

Councillors also looked at the role of parish councils during an emergency.

Coun McMullon said: "It has been recognised that parish councils have a crucial role to play in local emergency situations. They have the local knowledge to identify vulnerable groups and mobilise the community into action."

She added: "A leaflet produced by Melsonby Parish Council, and distributed to all households, was used as a good example of how to prepare for the unexpected."

North Yorkshire County Council's emergency planning unit is encouraging parish councils to create a community emergency plan to prepare for emergencies.

David Gill, customer liaison manager for CE Electric UK, NEDL's parent company, said steps to improve the firm's communications during emergencies were being taken.

He said the NEDL was also looking to work alongside local authorities, including parish councils, to communicate better with customers.

The firm's customer relations department received more than 300,000 calls during the power cuts in January.

About 300 high-voltage faults were reported in the first six hours of the storm. The company usually expects six or seven a day.