SP Energy Networks U-turns in compensation row with Lanarkshire man

SP Energy Networks is saying sorry to a Lanarkshire man for refusing to pay him the right compensation for being without power for nearly 5 days after Storm Eowyn.

Craig Ritchie from Symington couldn't turn the lights on for a total of 105 hours in January after the country was hit with a red weather warning for wind.

Fighting for weeks

Customer services told him the power briefly came back on for a minute meaning the clock was being reset and he was due £300 less than he expected.

He told Greatest Hits Radio: "It would have been so much easier if they had just gone along with what they had said they were going to do and what they publish on their websites.

"Having to fight for these things is never fun.

"There are other people out there who this will affect, I am lucky that I had the strength of character to persistently phone for weeks on end and get this sorted."

Craig also lost contents from his freezer while he was without electricity and says he was left to fend for himself.

He added: "During the storm, they prioritised feeding people with food trucks in the larger areas while the remote places were ignored.

"They actually offered me Just Eat vouchers and I tried to explain there was nowhere near me where I could use them because I live in the middle of nowhere."

Correcting a mistake

A spokesperson for SP Energy Networks said: “Storm Eowyn was a red weather event and one of the worst storms to ever hit our network, affecting over 270,000 of our customers. As soon as power was restored to everyone, our teams began work to review all power cuts related to the storm and pay compensation proactively to those eligible.

“We have undertaken a review of Mr Ritchie’s case, which has identified an additional incident on the network which led to a delay in restoration and additional compensation is being processed in line with the regulator Ofgem's guidelines.

“We have reached out to Mr Ritchie to apologise and confirm the amended compensation payment.”

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