POWER network operator Electricity North West have said they are on hand and prepared to deal with the first named storm of 2019.

It comes as the Met Office have issued a yellow weather warning for wind, affecting Cumbria and the South of Scotland on Saturday between midnight and 3pm.

The warning by the forecaster predicts gales of between 60mph and 65mph in the county, and about 50mph to 60mph for the rest of the region.

Strong winds can cause power cuts by blowing debris into overhead power lines, or bringing lines down.

In response, Electricity North West has put more engineers on standby with staff across the organisation monitoring the forecast and poised to respond to the latest weather developments.

Samantha Loukes, incident manager for Electricity North West, said: “Over the next 48 hours, we’ll be closely monitoring the weather to ensure any damage is repaired and power returns as quickly as possible if it does go off.

"We are always prepared and well-rehearsed, working around the clock to mobilise our engineers during incidents such as this.

“We would urge people that if they do see any damage to our overhead power lines, to please stay away and report it to us immediately so we can repair it safely.

“As always, we are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week if customers need any help or advice.”

The electricity supplier offers extra support to customers through their Priority Services Register. Extra support is available to customers if they require it.

For further advice on how to stay safe and prepared, or to view live power cut information, and sign up to Electricity North West's Priority Services Register, go to: www.enwl.co.uk/powercuts.

Customers can also get in touch via social media, or by making a free-of-charge call to 105.