22 December 2008 13:42 It's not just Santa: Central Networks staff work round the clock to keep your lights on this Christmas

While families across the Midlands are opening presents and tucking into turkey this Christmas Day, staff at Central Networks will be working round the clock to make sure their lights stay on and their homes keep warm over the festive season.

Central Networks, the electricity distribution company for central England, runs a 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week service. Field engineers will be on standby to tackle any incident on the network, while customer service staff at the Tipton and Castle Donington bases will be working through Christmas to make sure customers have the help or information they need.

Customer Operations Manager Phil Wilson said: "We always have a full team ready for action to keep people's lights on but we hope they won't be needed, especially at Christmas.

"In the unlikely event there are problems, everyone can rest easy knowing we have teams available to deal with any problems. That means that, while our staff will be available, everyone else can get on enjoying Christmas."

The team won't totally miss out on Christmas cheer as they will be bringing in such festive treats as turkey sandwiches, mince pies and chocolates to eat at break times as they carry on their normal duties.

Customers can contact Central Networks on 0800 056 8090 (East Midlands) or 0800 328 1111 (West Midlands) to report a power cut.

Central Networks delivers a reliable supply to 4.9 million customers across the East and West Midlands through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• Central Networks brings power to 4.9 million customers across central England through 133,000km of underground and overhead cables and via almost 97,000 substations;
• Central Networks covers an area from the Peak District in the north to parts of Bristol in the south, and from the Welsh Borders to the Lincolnshire Coast.