By Dave Lord

AS WINTER approaches Tayside residents are being assured that any problems arising from seasonal storms will be quickly dealt with.

Perth-based Scottish Hydro-Electric has a number of contingency plans in place and can even call on a fleet of helicopters to transport extra staff should electricity supplies be cut.

Tayside and central operations manager Barry Will said the company planned to use a weather monitoring system directly linked to the Met Office.

It allows officials to plan five or six days ahead should storms be forecast.

“We have plans in place which allow us to mobilise crews, materials and equipment as quickly as possible,” he explained.

“With the help of our colleagues elsewhere in Scotland and the south of England we are able to supplement our crews in the north if we are hit by bad weather.

“Our helicopter contracts allow us to fly these additional crews and resources to storm-damaged areas—and in some cases in advance of the storms—so engineers are in place and ready to deal with any problems.

“In addition we always ensure we have adequate staff in our call centre in Perth to answer customers’ calls.

“We can also route calls to our other call centres in the south if required. The emergency contact number for customers to call is 0800 300999.”

Mr Will said preparations are already well advanced.

“This year...we have carried out an extensive tree-cutting programme which should pay dividends over the coming winter months,” he commented.

“Tree-cutting is a never-ending challenge but also a vital part of our work, as falling trees or clashing branches are a major cause of power cuts.

“To minimise disruption to our customers it is essential to have a well planned and effective tree-cutting programme to stop problems before they arise and to react quickly to any trees which do fall on to our lines.”

Scottish Hydro-Electric now employs over 50 tree surgeons throughout the north of Scotland, a large number of whom are based in Tayside.

“By using our own people we can not only maintain the highest of safety standards but also follow specific guidelines for each tree species so that we carry out the work sympathetically to achieve a natural result,” Mr Will said.

He hopes customers will enjoy a hassle-free winter and pledged that any faults will be rectified as quickly as possible.

“During the last year we have invested more than £10.5 million in our local network...allowing linesmen to isolate faults more easily and restore supplies to the majority of customers in a significantly reduced time,” Mr Will said.

“In addition we have dedicated rapid response teams strategically located throughout our territory.”