If the lights went out this evening, could everyone in your home reach a torch without crossing a dark staircase or cluttered room? Put one working battery or wind-up torch in an easy-to-reach place near the main route through the home, add a charged power bank and write the power-cut number on paper. Then walk the route once in daylight. The aim is not to build an elaborate emergency cupboard. It is to make the first few dark minutes simple and calm.
This is useful today because the Met Office thunderstorm warnings for 27 August 2026 say power cuts might occur in some affected parts of England and Wales. The warning also recommends gathering torches, batteries and a mobile phone power pack. Check the current warning for your own area, because the location and timing can change.
Start with the route, not the equipment list
Stand where you would most likely notice a power cut, perhaps the kitchen, living room or bedroom. From there, identify the shortest clear route to a torch. Avoid hiding it behind cleaning products, in a high cupboard or in a drawer that collects loose cables and keys.
A hallway shelf can work if it is reachable from the rooms used most often. If the route includes stairs, keep a second torch upstairs rather than expecting somebody to carry a phone through the dark. Clear shoes, bags and trailing chargers from the route. Our wet-weather hallway check is a useful companion when heavy rain is also forecast.
Give the station four simple jobs
Keep the contents small enough to inspect at a glance:
- Light: a battery or wind-up torch, plus a second light elsewhere in the home
- Power: a charged power bank and the cable that fits your phone
- Contact: the power-cut number and one household contact written on paper
- Access: anything specific your household needs to reach safely, such as spare batteries or reading glasses
Do not rely on the torch built into a phone as your only light. The GOV.UK power-cut guidance recommends keeping a battery or wind-up torch and notes that using a phone as a torch drains its battery more quickly. It also says torches are safer than candles.
Save 105, then write it down as well
In England, Scotland and Wales, call 105 free to report a power cut or contact the local electricity network operator. In Northern Ireland, the number is 03457 643643. Save the correct number in your phone, but keep it on a small paper card at the station too. Internet or mobile service may be disrupted, and a written number does not need a battery.
Keep your energy supplier details separate from the emergency route. The company that bills you is not necessarily the network operator dealing with the outage. The national number connects people in Great Britain to the relevant operator.
What should you do when the power goes off?
First, check whether neighbouring homes or street lights are also dark. Use the torch, report the cut if needed and follow advice from the network operator. Keep fridge and freezer doors closed rather than repeatedly checking inside.
If it is safe and easy, switch off heat-producing equipment that could restart unexpectedly, such as an electric hob, hair tool or portable heater. Leave one ordinary light switched on so you notice when power returns. Scottish Fire and Rescue Service power-cut advice recommends torches or battery lights and warns against using outdoor cooking equipment inside.
Do not improvise electrical repairs, connect a generator indoors or use a barbecue to heat the room. If somebody depends on powered medical or accessibility equipment, use the plan agreed with the equipment provider and network operator rather than waiting for an outage to work it out.
If water has entered the home, treat it differently
A normal local power cut and floodwater around electrical fittings are not the same problem. Do not step into water to reach a consumer unit, socket or appliance. Do not try to switch lights or equipment back on in an affected area.
Electrical Safety First's flood guidance advises using a torch, avoiding electrical repairs and having flood-affected wiring and appliances assessed before use. Follow emergency-service, network, landlord and insurer instructions for the actual situation. Call 999 if there is immediate danger.
Run a three-minute dark-route test
Do not turn off the electricity at the consumer unit for a rehearsal. Wait until daylight, switch off the ordinary room lights and ask each household member to show you how they would reach the nearest torch. Keep the test short and stop if the route is not safe.
- Start from the living room, kitchen and main bedroom.
- Walk to the nearest torch without using a phone screen.
- Check the stairs, front door and bathroom route for obstacles.
- Confirm that the torch works and the spare light has power.
- Return everything to exactly the same place.
If somebody cannot reach the main station comfortably, add a second one. A small torch beside the bed may be more useful than a large emergency box downstairs. Homes with children or pets also need batteries, cables and small items stored securely without making the torch inaccessible to the adults who need it.
Make the check part of normal home care
Put a recurring note in the calendar to charge the power bank, test the torches and replace damaged batteries. Check the station before forecast storms, but do not wait for dramatic weather. Local faults can happen on an ordinary evening too.
Once the emergency route works, return to everyday comfort. Our kitchen lighting task map helps you plan useful fixed lighting for normal use, while the torch route covers the moments when that lighting is unavailable.
Set up the station today, walk to it from the room you use most and make one correction while it is still light. The best power-cut plan is the one everybody can find without having to remember where it was put.