Storm Isha power cuts - how you could be due compensation

Storm Isha has left tens of thousands of homes across the UK without power at the start of this week after severe weather conditions damaged power lines.

Residents in Northern Ireland, Scotland and north-west England were particularly affected, after winds of around 100mph caused widespread damage and disruption.

Did you know that you could be entitled to compensation if Storm Isha led to power cuts in your area?

Here, ITV News sets out how much money you could be due and how to make a claim.

England, Scotland and Wales

Ofgem, the government regulator of gas and electricity networks, rules state in England, Wales and Scotland that network operators are responsible for paying compensation to customers when particular sets of circumstances arise.

Customers could be entitled to two types of compensation - storm category 1 and storm category 2 - for power cuts in severe weather.

If the power cut is because of disruption to the national energy supply, you will not be entitled to compensation - this is because it is not due to a fault on the network.

The amount you can claim for is dependent on the category of severe weather and how long you were without a power supply.

If your case falls under storm category 1 and you have been without power for 24 hours, then you are entitled to claim £80 back from your provider.

You will get an additional £40 for every six hours afterwards, and can claim up to £2,000.

But if the severe weather is deemed as being category 2 then you can only claim £80 back in the event your power has been cut for 48 hours.

Each electricity provider requires customers to submit claims in different ways. A list of contact details for individual providers can be found on Ofgem's website here.

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Northern Ireland

The Utility Regulator is responsible for managing, among others, the electricity industry in Northern Ireland - including the Northern Ireland Electricity Networks (NIE Networks).

Advice on the NIE states customers are entitled to £50 if their home is without electricity for 24 hours. They will then receive an additional £25 every 12 hours after that.

But the firm says in cases outside of its control - including severe weather - that these standards may not apply.

Legislation in Northern Ireland allows the NIE to apply an exemption in "exceptional events", which mean that no guaranteed standard payments would be due to customers.

The NIE says it will apply an exemption "on the basis of severe weather where the number of faults affecting the high voltage network exceeds 13 times the normal operations".