The home of a Cupar man who is unable to walk or talk was left without power for four days due to Storm Eowyn.
The Paxton family have lived in the Fife village of Kemback since 2017.
They are on Scottish Power’s priority service due to a disability in the household.
In 2022, Adrian Paxton, 61 suffered a serious stroke, which left him unable to walk or talk.
During Storm Eowyn, which struck on Friday last week, the family had to relocate to a hotel in Dundee for four days because they urgently needed electricity.
His wife Elaine, 57, says Scottish Power’s procedures failed priority customers when the power went out across much of Fife.
She told The Courier: “I rang the 105 number when the power went out at about 5pm on Friday.
“I told them I totally understand it’s a problem across the country but what’s the point in having a priority service if you’re not going to get it?
“I can’t stay in this house with my husband: he’s severely disabled, what about a generator?
“She said ‘we’ve got 13 generators, and they’re all out.’
“Why does a multi-million-pound company like Scottish Power have only 13 generators?”
Elaine said she was given £200 per night for a hotel room, but this ended up costing more for her whole family.
She says she was worried about affording food and accommodation for her family while they were displaced.
‘I have to plan how I’m going to keep my husband alive’ says Cupar resident
During the next few days, Elaine says she received no communication from Scottish Power.
“There have been four of us driving back and forth from the hotel to the house because we didn’t have this medication or that medication,” Elaine added.
“I have to plan how I’m going to get through this day to keep my husband alive, basically.
“If I’d got a message from Scottish Power telling me it’s off, and they don’t know when it will be back on, then I could plan.
“On Tuesday afternoon I got a phone call from Scottish Power asking me how I was.
“I said ‘thank you for ringing me, but this phone call would’ve been much more appreciated on Saturday morning.’
“This is Scottish Power’s job.
“They deal with emergency situations and they deal with supplying vulnerable people, and everyone else, the power.”
‘Statutory compensation’ to be provided, says Scottish Power
A spokesperson for Scottish Power Energy Networks said: “We understand the inconvenience experienced by Mrs Paxton and her husband.
“Storm Eowyn was a rare red weather event that affected every single area of our network.
“We proactively contacted over 270,000 customers – 75,000 of those on our priority services register were contacted before the storm hit.
“Throughout the period of the storm, we spoke to Mrs Paxton several times and, in addition, sent proactive texts to keep her up to date.
“Mrs Paxton will automatically receive statutory compensation.
“She will also be able to claim back £10 per person per meal up to a maximum of £120 per household, and further compensation for hotel accommodation.
“Customers can submit claims for food via our website and they can call our dedicated compensation Help Team on 0330 1010 159 to claim hotel reimbursement.
“More information can be found on our compensation webpage.”
Conversation