Payouts for those hit by storm power cuts

THOUSANDS of homeowners who have been left without power in the aftermath of storm Jocelyn may be able to claim compensation from their local energy network.

Households that have had no power for more than 24 hours due to a severe storm are entitled to £80 in compensation. You can claim an extra £40 for every six hours without power after this point, up to a maximum of £2,000.

However, this is not paid automatically, you must claim it yourself within three months of the power cut to receive compensation.

Visit energynetworks.org/customers/ to locate your local energy network operator.

Those whose homes were flooded by Storm Henk can apply for up to £500 from the Government to help with immediate costs and are exempt from paying council tax for at least three months.

Storm damage claims this year could be among the highest on record as Jocelyn becomes the tenth named storm in just five months, according to over-50s specialist Saga.

The last time claims for storm damage peaked was in 2022, when the average homeowner received £1,460, Saga says.

But the number of people taking out home insurance has declined in the past three years, leaving many at risk of being underinsured if their home is damaged by a storm, according to comparison website Compare the Market.

It saw an 80 pc jump year-onyear in visits to its home insurance website over the past few days as homeowners raced to take out cover days before storm Jocelyn hit.

Anna Thunstrom, home insurance expert at Saga, says most policies cover storm damage but you should check with your provider if there are any exclusions and take pictures of any damage before attempting to clean up.