MPs quiz energy bosses over Christmas power cuts
Energy Select Committee live
Bosses of UK energy distribution companies are being questioned by MPs about power cuts over the Christmas period.
About 750,000 properties were left without power, many for several days, during the festive period following storms that battered the UK.
The Commons Energy Select Committee are set to ask how the companies responded and how they communicated to customers.
They will also quiz the energy chiefs on the compensation paid to customers.
'Unsatisfactory'Bosses from Scottish Power, UK Power Networks, Scottish and Southern Energy, Electricity North West, Western Power Distribution and the Energy Networks Association are appearing at the hearing.
Following the storms, the chairman of the select committee, Tim Yeo, said that the performance of the distribution companies - which own the networks that carry electricity - had generally been "unsatisfactory".
"Too many consumers were left without power for too long and without information about when it was going to be restored at a time when people are now really dependent on a continuous supply of electricity," he said.
"To be left without power overnight sometimes for more than one or two days - that is simply unacceptable."
That view was echoed by Prime Minister David Cameron, who said power companies needed to work "round the clock" to get people switched on.
The power distribution companies have said engineers were working throughout the day and night during the Christmas period to restore electricity to those affected.
However, some have since said they will pay out higher than usual compensation to people who were without power for long periods and on Christmas Day.
Were you left without power over the holidays? Are you an engineer who worked to restore power? Send your experiences using the form below.