WORK is continuing to restore power to communities hit by Storm Darragh on Saturday.

The weekend storm brought winds of 93mph across much of Wales, which led to widespread powercuts.

Scottish Power Manweb engineers are continuing to repair the grid, with some residents being told they may have to wait until Thursday for power to be restored.

Scottish Power, which covers Gwynedd, Powys and north Ceredigion, said over 171,500 customers have been affected by Storm Darragh, with 2,360 homes remaining without power in its area.

Many areas impacted were hard-to-reach rural areas where access has been difficult due to the weather conditions and debris preventing engineers getting equipment to where it is needed.  

More than 169,000 customers have had power restored since the rare red weather event began.

Liam O’Sullivan, SP Manweb Director, said: “We are prioritising customers who’ve been off power the longest and have put in place a number of measures to assist them until we can get the mains power back on.

"We're aiming to restore everybody that's been off supply since Sunday today and are continuing to use helicopters to assess the damage where roads are impassable. Specialist tree cutting teams are working to clear debris from lines to help our engineers get to where they need to make repairs.

“We’d remind anyone experiencing a new power outage to report it to us by calling the free, national emergency helpline 105.”

Drop-in centres have been set up by local councils in Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, and Powys for those still affected.

These centres offer warm spaces, hot drinks, mobile device charging, and in some cases, shower facilities.

SPEN has handled over 51,900 customer calls – more than two months’ worth over the course of the weekend - and has proactively contacted 68,000 customers on its Priority Services Register prior to the storm hitting.  

The National Grid says 22,156 homes and businesses are still without power, with Roisin Quinn, Field Operations Director, adding: "Storm Darragh is the biggest storm our region has faced in decades.

“Our engineers, control rooms, contact centre and support teams have been working around the clock to maintain power across the network.

“We continue to see extremely high volumes of calls to our contact centre and I'm afraid it is taking a little longer for customers to get through. In addition to the contact centre, customers can reach us via social media and our website.

“I want to thank customers for their patience and understanding and assure you all that we are doing everything we can to get power restored across the region as soon as possible.”

The leisure centres at Cardigan and Plascrug, Aberystwyth are open today until 9pm opened for members of the public who wish to call by, or stay a while in order to keep warm, have a shower or charge their mobile phones if they have been without power for some time.

There will be a warm drink awaiting you.

Several members of Ceredigion County Council staff have volunteered to assist at these centres, and there will be a warm welcome there for you.

The Offices at Penmorfa, Aberaeron are also open for warm drinks and an opportunity for you to charge your mobile phones. We are also working to arrange provision in the Lampeter area, and we will be sharing further information in due course.

Ceredigion County Council said: "We are contacting vulnerable residents that are known to us, and responding to requests for support. Please check on vulnerable neighbours and let us know if you require additional suppor

The Bronant campus of Ysgol Rhos Helyg is closed on Tuesday as it has no power.

The ‘National Grid’ and ‘SPEnergy’ for North Ceredigion are busy trying to re-connect electricity to all households, and ask that residents stay clear of any fallen equipment and report it, or any power cuts, by calling their emergency number 105. They are also supporting vulnerable customers that are on their priority list with extra needs, and the telephone number of those on the priority services register with the ‘National Grid’ is 0800 096 3080, and you can contact SPEnergy for North Ceredigion by phoning 0800 001 5400.