Power cut in Bristol: live reports, your DNO and what to do (2026)

Always to your Distribution Network Operator, not your supplier. In Bristol that is National Grid Electricity Distribution. Dial 105 (Free national fault line) — free, 24/7 — or call National Grid Electricity Distribution directly on 0800 6783 105.

Atlantic storms charging up the Bristol Channel routinely sweep the city; combined sewage flooding occasionally compromises ground-mounted substations near the harbour. NGED runs depots at Feeder Road and Avonmouth. The harbour and Clifton areas are entirely underground; rural suburbs on the city's northern edge mix overhead and underground.

There is no county-wide average worth quoting: a fault on an urban underground cable is often back within an hour or two, while an overhead line down in open country after a storm can take most of a day. The number that matters is the estimated time of restoration (ETR) National Grid Electricity Distribution publishes for your specific fault — ask for it when you call 105, or read it off the National Grid Electricity Distribution power cut map after entering your postcode. Planned cuts are announced in advance and normally run 2 to 8 hours.

Yes, under Ofgem's Guaranteed Standards of Performance. Where the fault affected fewer than 5,000 properties — most street-level cuts in Bristol — a domestic customer gets £95 once the supply has been off for more than 12 hours, then £45 for each further 12 hours, capped at £390. Where more than 5,000 properties lost supply, that first £95 applies after 24 hours. Businesses start at £190. Four or more cuts of three hours or longer in a single year earn an extra £95. Payment from National Grid Electricity Distribution is normally automatic.

National Grid Electricity Distribution announces planned cuts by letter (and increasingly text or email) 2 to 8 days in advance. Most run 8am to 6pm and last 2 to 8 hours. Planned cuts do not qualify for compensation unless your operator failed to give adequate notice.