Storm Arwen’s devastating impact through widespread power outages lasted weeks for many in East Durham.

From restoring power and dealing with the immediate emergency, Northern Powergrid is moving to recompense and compensate those affected.

Northern Powergrid has advised they are starting to issue cheques this week and are hoping to process as many payments as possible before Christmas.

Where Northern Powergrid has customer information will automatically make payments using the details on file. DO NOT give out your bank details, Northern Powergrid has confirmed that compensation will be made via cheque.

For customers who do not have all the information, Northern Powergrid will send them a letter inviting them to provide the details required. Customers will then be able to provide the necessary information via the Northern Powergrid website, telephone or return the form.

For a typical customer, the compensation payment will be £70 for the first 48 hours and £70 for every 12 hours beyond that. Compensation under the regulations is usually capped at £700, however, this has been removed and no cap will be applied.

In addition to compensation payments, Northern Powergrid will cover any reasonable costs for accommodation and food (up to £15 per meal) that were incurred due to the loss of power.

More details on how to recover costs will be released shortly, and people should keep any receipts or proof of payment for these costs.

After the crisis and chaos of Storm Arwen, I hope the recovery of costs and payment of compensation will be a simple process. However, please do not hesitate to contact me if you experience any difficulties claiming compensation.