The Portsmouth workers who will be making sure you've got power on Christmas Day

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) is responsible for maintaining a safe supply of electricity to Portsmouth, and to 3.1 million homes and businesses across central southern England.

Its staff will be working during Christmas to make sure that turkeys can be cooked, televisions can be watched and new toys charged.

Joe Harvey, operational team leader for Portsmouth, will be working.

He said: ‘I’ll be working with my team of engineers and operational field staff to make sure our Portsmouth network delivers the electricity our customers need for a warm, safe and happy Christmas.

‘We have over 283,000 customers living and working in Portsmouth and they rightly expect a safe and reliable supply of electricity all year round, and especially during the festive season.

‘We’ll be working over Christmas to respond to and identify any issues.

‘We understand how important Christmas is to so many of our customers. That’s why we are rescheduling our holidays, keeping the turkey in the freezer a little longer and planning our festivities for the start of the new year.

‘We’ll be working on shifts to make sure the right people are available 24 hours a day to keep the power flowing.’

The team will be looking after more than 26,000 miles of infrastructure across Portsmouth and the south east area.

Joe said they will be ready to deal with birds, trees and weather that can sometimes cause unplanned power cuts.

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He added: ‘All year round we are ready to climb poles, repair cables and replace transformers. Christmas Day is no different. On behalf of all my team, I would like to wish everyone in Portsmouth a Merry Christmas.’

Jasmin Myhill, a customer relationship manager for Portsmouth, will also be working.

She said: ‘If any faults do occur it’s my job to support our customers, provide the care, and target assistance where it is required.

‘As providers of essential services we have worked throughout the year during lockdowns. A resilient supply of electricity has been so important this year, and we are ready to respond to ensure people are able to enjoy this festive period after a difficult year.’

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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