OPENREACH phone and broadband supplier is warning there could be disruption if there’s a repeat of last year which saw several named storms hit Scotland, including three in one week in February.
The company is also offering some useful tips for phone and broadband users:
Tell your provider if you’re vulnerable: Let your phone or broadband provider - the company you pay your bill to - know if you or a family member is so you’ll be prioritised, wherever possible, during any repair work.
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Prepare for an outage: Make sure your mobile phone and any spare battery packs are fully charged if you know extreme weather is approaching. It could provide you with vital access to help, online services and contact with friends and family.
Report damage: Outages can happen because trees or branches hit cables and equipment. You can help us fix things faster by reporting this kind of issue online or by calling 0800 023 2023.
Check your power: We have back-up plans in the event of local power cuts to keep our network running, but you might find it hard to connect if your own power is disrupted.
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More information: If phone and broadband services are disrupted, you can find out the latest information at openreach.com. Always report a fault to your service provider so we know there’s a problem.
Jenni Macfarlane, service delivery director for Openreach in Scotland, said: “It’s impossible to predict exactly what kind of winter is ahead of us, but we’re doing everything we can to prepare for it.
“Last winter, our Scottish network was repeatedly lashed by storms like Arwen, Barra, Corrie and Malik. In just 24 hours in February, Storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin caused thousands of damage reports to flood in and more than 100 poles in Scotland needed to be replaced as a result, among 750 across the UK.
“It presented us with an opportunity to review and make changes to our approach and I’m confident we’re in a better place heading into this winter. We’re more co-ordinated across our business and have even closer working relationships with organisations like the power companies and the Met Office.
“I’d urge anyone who’s vulnerable to let their broadband company know, so they can be prioritised during repairs. It’s not always possible due to the way the network works, but we’ll do our best.”
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